Landslide Buries Four House in Jember

Jember, East Java (Antara) - A landslide triggered by torrential rains buried three houses in Badean village in East Java's Jember district on Thursday night, noted a spokesman. "The heavy rains, which lashed the area for several hours, caused a landslide that buried the houses of local residents," Heru Widagdo, the head of logistics and emergency of the Jember District Natural Disaster Mitigation Board (BPBD), stated here on Friday. The three houses hit by the landslide at Badean village in Bangsalsari sub-district belonged to Imam Junaidi (50), Slamet (47), and Manik (70), he revealed. "The three houses leveled to the ground by the landslide were inhabited by four families," he noted. The three houses, built in a row, were located about a meter from the landslide. "No fatalities were reported in the landslide in Bangsalsari sub-district. The landslide caused material losses of an estimated Rp75 million," he remarked. A landslide also ravaged a house owned by Mrs Sofi at Mojan hamlet in Patrang sub-district. "The BPBD has inspected the houses of landslide victims, and we will soon extend assistance to them," he noted. Heru also called on the residents living on the slopes of the Argopuro mountain range to stay on alert for landslides as heavy rains were expected to lash the area in the coming few weeks. (*) Reported by Zumrotun Solichah