"We have divided the search coverage into six areas, and today, we will focus on the fourth and fifth areas near the river," Brig. Gen. (Marines) Budi Purnama, the director of operations of Basarnas, the National Search and Rescue Agency, said here, Friday.
Bad weather has, so far, hampered rescue operations, he stated.
Rescue operations have been hindered by rains falling almost daily, from the first day of the search efforts until the fifth, he added.
"However, today, we hope that the weather is fine, so we could speed up the search activities for the missing victims," he remarked.
A total of 18 bodies have, so far, been found in the village, which was buried by landslide on December 31, 2018.
The landslide, triggered by heavy rains, destroyed 30 homes and affected 101 people. Of the total, 63 survived, three were injured, 18 dead, and 150 missing.
A joint rescue and search (SAR) team comprising police, military, and local officers, as well as volunteers, has worked hard to look for the missing people and to evacuate other victims.
The Indonesian Defense Forces has deployed 350 officers for the rescue operations.
Meanwhile, during the January-December 2018 period, a total of 2,427 natural disasters hit Indonesia, leaving 4,821 people dead or missing, according to the National Disaster Mitigation Board (BNPB).
The natural disasters also led to injuries to at least 8,400 people, displaced nearly 10 million others, and damaged some 400 thousand houses this year.
BNPB Chief Willem Rampangilei had stated on December 29, 2018, that 2,350, or 96.9 percent of the natural disasters, were hydrometeorological in nature, such as floods and landslides, and 76, or 3.1 percent, were geological disasters.
Reporting by Mayols FD, fardah
Reporter: Antara
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
Copyright © ANTARA 2019
