Landslide In Karo District, North Sumatra, 1 Construction Worker Dies, 3 Others Missing

Landslide in Karo, North Sumatra (Photo: DOK BNPB)

JAKARTA - A landslide occurred in Sugihen Village, Dolat Rayat District, Karo Regency, North Sumatra Province (Sumut) on Sunday, September 26 at 15.08 WIB.

Head of BNPB Disaster Data and Communication Center Abdul Muhari said the disaster resulted in the death of one construction worker.

"The landslide resulted in the death of one construction worker. The joint team evacuated and identified the victim after a two-hour search process that afternoon," Abdul Muhari said in his statement, Monday, September 27.

Not only that, the landslide also left three workers missing and another seriously injured. The joint team, assisted by villagers, is still trying to find the missing person. The affected victims were at the repair site for retaining road cliffs and waterways.

Abdul Muhari said the search and evacuation process consisting of the TNI, Polri and BPBD was resumed this morning.

"Other emergency handling efforts, the local BPBD is still collecting data related to the impact of the landslide," he said.

It is known that the landslide in Dolat Rakyat, Karo was triggered by the unstable soil structure and heavy rains in the area. The Karo Regency Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) is still conducting a field study to determine the exact cause of the landslide.

The incident occurred in the area of construction of retaining walls on road cliffs and waterways. This location had experienced similar landslides last year, so the local government built a retaining wall along the side of the road that was prone to landslides.

Abdul Muhari stated that Karo Regency is an area with a moderate to high landslide hazard potential.

"A total of 17 sub-districts are in this potential, including one of Dolat Rayat District. The area of danger in a number of these sub-districts reaches 104,800 hectares," he explained.

Meanwhile, the BMKG weather early warning monitoring stated that the North Sumatra region has the opportunity for heavy rain which can be accompanied by lightning or lightning and strong winds on 27-28 September 2021.

Monitoring the potential for rain at the sub-district level noted that the Dolat Rayat area has the potential for light to moderate rain today, September 27. In the afternoon until evening, around 22.00 WIB, this area has the potential to rain with moderate intensity.