One Family In North Tapanuli Buried By Landslides In Cars, 3 People Died

Officers inspected the location of the landslide that killed 3 people in a family in North Tapanuli/ Photo; Antara

JAKARTA - The Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) of North Tapanuli Regency, North Sumatra, evacuated three people who were buried by landslides on Tarutung-Sibolga National Road, Saturday, February 3, at 17.00 WIB in a state of death. BPBD staff North Tapanuli Regency Septian Yudiansyah through an official statement in Jakarta, explained that the car carrying the victim consisting of father, mother, and child at that time was stopped due to traffic jams a few meters in front of him. "So, along the National Road last night there were a total of five landslide points. The position of this victim was stopped because it was jammed, in front of there was a landslide. Suddenly a cliff on the side of the road where the victim's car stopped was also an avalanche," he said.

In addition to the three people who died, Septian said the landslide also caused six people to be seriously injured and referred to Sibolga Hospital. Meanwhile, seven people suffered minor injuries and have been treated at the Parsikaman Health Center. According to him, several vehicles were also affected by landslides, including five minibus units, one expedition truck, and one motorbike. One house was heavily damaged due to being buried by landslide material. Septian said the joint team went to the field and evacuated the victims of this landslide. The North Tapanuli Regency Government has also deployed an excavator unit to clean up landslide material since last night.

"Today we will continue our search for victims again, because according to several witnesses there were other vehicles that were also affected by the landslide last night," said Septian.

Meanwhile, access to the Tarutung-Sibolga National Road, which is a border crossing between Central Tapanuli and North Tapanuli, can be passed again with an open-close system since early this morning. It is known that the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) issued early warnings for the North Sumatra region for Sunday and Monday (4-5 February 2024) in the form of moderate to heavy rain accompanied by strong winds and thunderstorms in the western slope, west coast of North Sumatra which could cause flooding and landslides. Head of the Center for Data, Information and Communication of Disaster Management National Disaster Agency (BNPB) Abdul Muhari appealed to residents to always be vigilant and careful when traveling during the rainy season.

"If there is heavy rain in a period of more than an hour and visibility of less than 100 meters, people who are driving are advised to look for a safe location and pull over for a moment, and avoid being close to a cliff slope that has the potential for landslides," said Abdul Muhari.