Natuna Serasan Island Disaster Emergency Response, Police Drop 145 Personnel To Help Evacuate Victims

SAR officers evacuate landslides on Sarena Island, Natuna, Riau Islands. (doc BNPB)

JAKARTA - A total of 145 members of the National Police were deployed to landslide-affected areas including Serasan Island, Natuna, Riau Islands (Kepri). Serasan Island has been declared a disaster emergency response status as of today, Tuesday, March 7.

Head of the Public Information Bureau (Karopenmas) of the Public Relations Division of the National Police Brigadier General Pol Ahmad Ramadhan said police personnel who were dispatched for search and evacuation of victims affected by landslides in Natuna.

"The evacuation of the search for victims consisted of 145 members of the National Police, members of the Kodim, then there were also 37 personnel from Basarnas, 15 personnel from BPBD, then 17 firefighters, then 25 personnel from the Pati Guard, then 25 personnel from Satpol PP and doctors and nurses," he said at the Police Hospital, Jakarta, Tuesday, March 7.

The National Police are also still consolidating with the Riau Islands Police and the Natuna Police to use K9 units or sniffer dogs to assist in the process of searching for victims.

In addition to deploying personnel to evacuate the search for victims, the National Police also opened public kitchens at cross-border posts and dispatched trauma healing or trauma recovery teams for landslide victims.

"We sent a trauma healing team from the police and followed from the trauma healing team of the Riau Islands Police," he added.

On this occasion, Ramadhan expressed his condolences to the entire family of the victims who died in the natural disaster of landslides in the Riau Islands.

"The National Police of the Republic of Indonesia share their condolences to the entire family of the victims who died in the landslide natural disaster in the Riau Islands, Natuna Regency," he said.

He explained that the landslide disaster in Natuna occurred on Monday, March 6 had claimed 10 residents, 47 were missing, one victim was seriously injured, three were outpatients, and four were critical.

"We emphasize that this data is data Tuesday, March 7, at 03.00 WIB, yes. Early this morning," he said.

In addition, 1,216 people were displaced, with details of 219 people at cross-border posts (PLBN), 215 people at health centers, 500 people affected and mosques, and 282 people at SMA 1 Serasan.