Suspension Bridge To Junior High School Building In Cibuluh Village, Cianjur Damaged By Landslides

The building of SMPajatwangi, Cidaun District, Cianjur, collapsed in a landslide (Photo: ANTARA)

JAKARTA - The Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) Cianjur, West Java (West Java) noted that 2 villages in Cidaun District were hit by landslides and strong winds.

In addition to hundreds of families displaced, junior high schools and suspension bridges were damaged by the incident.

"The broken bridge occurred in Cibuluh Village, Cidaun District, the bridge connecting Cibuluh and Puncakbaru villages, broke after its foundation collapsed in a landslide. There were no casualties in the incident," said BPBD Secretary Cianjur Irfan Sopyan as reported by Antara, Friday, January 22.

The residents' activities were also hampered by the suspension of the suspension bridge. BPBD is coordinating with related agencies to build an emergency bridge.

"We have coordinated with related agencies to immediately build an emergency bridge that is at least accessible to pedestrians because main road access requires residents to take a long time with damaged road runways," he said.

Landslides and soil movements, he added, also hit Mimpiwangi Village, Cidaun District. The main road in the village was also blocked by landslides and threatened hundreds of houses.

"Currently, the joint team and volunteers are trying to get rid of the landslide material that blocked the road runway so that vehicles can pass through. Meanwhile, the residents' villages on the landslide are threatened, so that hundreds of family heads have to be evacuated to avoid further landslides," he said.

Not only landslides, heavy rain accompanied by strong winds hit the village, causing several junior high school classrooms to collapse. There were no casualties because the teaching and learning process was still being carried out online.

"We are still waiting for the complete data from the officers who have been sent to the field, temporary data that two classrooms and another building at SMPajatwangi collapsed," he explained.

The Regent of Cianjur, Herman Suherman, immediately instructed the relevant agencies to come to the location of the broken bridge and immediately rebuild.

"I have instructed the head of the related department to look directly at the broken bridge, as soon as possible to rebuild it so that residents' activities are not hampered. We also urge residents in disaster-prone areas to be alert and observant to see natural signs of a disaster," he said.