West Bandung District (ANTARA) - Indonesian rescue teams on Wednesday deployed additional heavy machinery to speed up the search for dozens of people still missing after a landslide struck a village in West Java’s Bandung Barat District.
The joint Search and Rescue (SAR) team has intensified operations to locate 32 victims believed to be buried by the landslide in Pasirlangu Hamlet, Cisarua Sub-district, West Bandung, according to the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas).
Basarnas operations director Bramantyo said search efforts on Wednesday were concentrated in three main sectors — A1, A2 and B3 — along with an additional sector, A3, located on higher ground near the foothills of Mount Burangrang.
“We divided the teams after the morning briefing. Since early today, four more heavy machines have been deployed, bringing the total to 17 units,” Bramantyo said in West Bandung.
He said weather conditions continued to hamper operations, with thick fog and steady rain affecting the Pasirlangu area since Tuesday night, forcing teams to adjust their movements and working hours in the field.
As of Wednesday morning, the number of victims still unaccounted for remained at 32, while rescue teams had earlier handed over 48 body bags to the Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) unit of the West Java provincial police.
Bandung Search and Rescue Office Head Ade Dian said the joint SAR team was also receiving health support, including vaccinations and vitamins, from the Health Ministry and the local health agency.
“We have received vaccines and vitamins to maintain the physical condition of the search teams. This is extremely important given the risks faced in the field,” Ade said.
He added that medical personnel had been stationed in every search sector to respond quickly to emergencies involving rescue workers.
“At each location, doctors are on standby so that any incident can be handled immediately,” he said.
Regarding the duration of the operation, Ade said the local government had proposed a 14-day search period, with a formal evaluation scheduled on the seventh day, Friday, January 30.
“We are following this arrangement. The evaluation will determine whether an extension is needed, depending on the progress of the search,” he said.
