President Jokowi Urges Fast Evacuation of Landslide in Brebes

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo expresses condolences over landslide that hit Pasir Panjang Village, Salem Sub-district, Brebes Regency, Central Java, on Thursday (22/2) that killed at least five people and left more than 11 people missing.

“I am in grief over the landslide that struck Brebes. I had instructed related instructions to take swift action to evacuate the victims. May the families of the victims are strong to face the adversity,” President Jokowi said through his Twitter account @jokowi posted on Thursday (22/2) at 1.37 a.m..

According to National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, the landslide in Pasir Panjang Village hit rice paddies where farmers were working, killing five people, injuring 14 people and leaving 11 others missing.

“We are still evacuating the victims,”  Sutopo said through his Twitter account @Sutopo_PN.

Up until now, Brebes Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency, the Indonesian National Defence Forces (TNI), Indonesian National Police (Polri), and National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas), Indonesian Red Cross, Emergency Response Unit (Tagana), and local residents are involved in the process to search, evacuate, and rescue the victims.

The team faces difficulty in evacuating the victims as the earth is not stable yet, friable, think and the landslide location is widespread. Not to mention heavy equipment has not yet been able to be used to remove earth where the victims burried.(*/ES) (RAS/MUR/EP/Naster)