"We have already closed the entire traffic lanes," Chief of Police of Bogor, Adjunct Senior Commissioner (AKBP) Andi M. Dicky Pastika Gading said.
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The landslides that hit several parts of Puncak tourist resort areas in West Java Province on Monday killed two people, media report revealed.

The live report of Kompas TV, which ANTARA monitored here on Monday, confirmed the death toll and revealed that at least two cars were hit by a landslide from a cliff in the disaster-hit area.

Chief of Police (Kapolres) of Bogor, Adjunct Senior Commissioner (AKBP) Andi M. Dicky Pastika Gading stated that Puncak Bogor-Cianjur routes were completely closed for vehicles as a result of the landslides that hit several areas in Southern region of Bogor District on Monday.

"We have already closed the entire traffic lanes," he remarked, adding that the landslide material covered parts of the road shoulders in the areas of Penimbangan Region and Atta Awun Mosque, Tugu Selatan Village, Cisarua Subdistrict.

Rescue workers have been attempting to clear the covered road shoulders using heavy equipment. Therefore, Gading urged travelers to take the alternative routes of Puncak Bogor-Cianjur.

The landslides happened as prolonged heavy rains hit the Puncak tourist resort areas, which Jakartans and other locals usually visit during weekend, for several hours from early Monday.

The disaster-hit areas are hilly. Certain parts of the tourist resort areas are covered by tea plantation, which have existed since the Dutch colonial era. However, the soil in these areas is unstable and vulnerable to landslide amid prolonged rainfalls.

Gading noted that the total amount of material losses were not yet known, but the landslide that hit an area where Pengayoman Villa in Cibeureum Village, Cisarua Sub-district, exists has caused material losses of Rp15 million.

The landslides also hit Sukabumi road in Cikereteg Hamlet, Ciderum Village, Caringin Sub-district, he remarked, adding that he was yet to receive information on when the Puncak road would be opened, as efforts to clear the covered road shoulders had been continuing.

(T.KR-TQA/INE)
EDITED BY INE/A014
(T.KR-TQA/A/KR-BSR/A014)

Reporter: antara
Editor: Heru Purwanto
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