However, no casualties were reported in the landslide, triggered by heavy rain that continued to pelt the mountainous areas of 7 Kuta Belki Hamlet on Tuesday evening, Adin Tengah Village Head A. Sitepu remarked.
The road section blocked due to the landslide not only disrupted the mobility of local residents, but it also hindered the delivery of a backhoe to the disaster area. Several locals made concerted efforts to clear the road section of landslide debris.
On Tuesday, a landslide had also hit Belimbing Village of Batam City in Riau Islands Province, causing damage to over 10 houses.
At least four of the 10 houses incurred severe damage. Consequently, the families, whose houses were ravaged by the landslide, had to seek refuge elsewhere. The relatives of these families provided them temporary accommodation.
During a visit to the disaster-hit area, Deputy Mayor of Batam City Amsakar Achmad echoed the city administration's plan to adopt cliff strengthening measures at the village to avert future incidents of mud and landslides.
Achmad suggested that villagers, whose houses were located in the disaster area, should in the interim relocate to facilitate easier delivery of backhoes to assist workers to begin work.
"At the moment, heavy rainfall is a possibility. It can potentially trigger another landslide, and we cannot let that recur," he stated.
Batam is the closest Indonesian city from Singapore, and it has become one of the preferred destinations for the city state's citizens.
Various parts of Indonesia are susceptible to landslides. In early this year, for instance, a landslide hit the Garehong area of Sirnaresmi Village, Cisolok Sub-district, Sukabumi District, West Java Province, claiming 33 lives.
Sukabumi District is just one of the areas in West Java that is prone to natural disasters.
According to the West Java Provincial Disaster Mitigation Agency, a total of 1,561 natural disasters had hit different parts of the province in 2018, killing 50 people and affecting 75,706 residents. Related news: Floods, landslides hit 16 villages in four sub-districts in Aceh
Related news: Bengkulu flooding, landslides claim 29 lives
EDITED BY INE
Translator: Imam F, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Suharto
Copyright © ANTARA 2019
