West Sumatra Police Open Opportunities To Check Other Witnesses Regarding The Eruption Of Mount Marapi

West Sumatra Police Chief Inspector General Suharyono (center) visited victims of the eruption of Mount Marapi RSAM Bukittinggi. (ANTARA/Muhammad Zulfikar).

The West Sumatra Regional Police opened up opportunities to examine other witnesses related to the eruption of Mount Marapi which killed 24 people. "From the results of the development, we need any information or clarification, it is possible that it could increase," said West Sumatra Police Chief Inspector General Suharyono in Padang, Antara, Tuesday, December 19. Until now, the police have only confirmed or examined two employees from the West Sumatra Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA) regarding the activity of climbing Mount Marapi. "We are only limited to confirmation because the data and facts need to be investigated. We also have not stated who is guilty," said Suharyono. To investigate the investigation of the unfortunate incident, the West Sumatra Police have examined local BKSDA officers, including scheduling a re-examination of personnel from the Center for Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation (PVMBG) on December 20, 2023. Meanwhile, the Daily Executive (Plh) of the West Sumatra BKSDA Dian Indriati confirmed that officers from the agency had been questioned by the West Sumatra Police. However, his party did not know what questions were asked by the police. "We don't want to explain something we don't understand ourselves, because we weren't the ones being investigated," he said. However, Dian emphasized that institutionally the West Sumatra BKSDA was always ready if the police again asked for the information needed.

Previously, the Head of Public Relations of the West Sumatra Police, Kombes Police Dwi Sulistyawan, said that the examination of the two BKSDA employees was still about the main tasks and functions (tupoksi), and standard operating procedures (SOP) for climbing activities on Mount Marapi.