SAR Team Assisted By Tracking Dogs Search For Victims Buried By Landslides In Pasirkuda Cianjur

The joint SAR team received the help of sniffer dogs from the Cianjur Police K-9, West Java, to find residents who were reported missing buried by landslides as high as 50 meters in Pasirkuda District, Cianjur Regency on Saturday, (29/7).

Secretary of the Cianjur Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), Rudi Wibowo, said that during the two days the search was carried out by a joint team consisting of BPBD Cianjur, SAR Bandung, PMI Cianjur, TNI/Polri and local residents using only manual tools.

"Officers only rely on two water pumps to get rid of landslide materials assisted by hoes to look for victims on behalf of Nahru (65), a resident of Simpang Village, Pasirkuda District," he said as quoted by ANTARA, Monday, July 31.

Rudi explained, two sniffer dogs from the Cianjur Police were taken down to assist the search process because lowering heavy equipment was not possible because there was no road access and a location located in the middle of two cliffs.

With this condition, he said, searches can only be carried out manually plus two sniffer dogs to ensure the position of the victim who is estimated to be buried as deep as 50 meters when the landslide occurs.

PMI Cianjur search coordinator, Deni Rismanda, said that joint officers had difficulty maximizing the search because the location of the victim was buried quite high and located between two steep cliffs, so officers still had to be careful and vigilant.

"The possibility of further landslides is also a consideration for the team in carrying out the search process, so that from dozens of officers it is distributed to a number of points by relying on manual tools and water pumps to get rid of landslides," he said.

Two sniffer dogs from the K-9 Cianjur Police have arrived at the location and will be involved in the fourth day of search due to weather factors that look cloudy.

"Tomorrow (Tuesday) the search will be maximized because it received the help of two sniffer dogs," he said.