Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Social Affairs Ministry has deployed the Disaster Preparedness Youth (Tagana) to help the evacuation of victims of landslide in Sumedang District, West Java.

The Tagana would help the authority to collect data and evacuate the victims, especially the elderly, children and disabled persons, the ministry said in its statement here on Sunday.

Head of the Research and Social Counseling Syahabuddin said, the ministry has dispatched humanitarian assistance worth Rp1.053 billion.

The humanitarian aid comprised emergency logistic aid worth Rp888 million, rice supply worth Rp31 million, and compensation for 11 families totaling Rp165 million.

The emergency logistic assistance comprised 10 tents, 150 camp bed, 1,200 mattresses, 600 beds, and 1,000 blankets.

"We have worked in coordination with the Social Affairs Office in the region to address (the impact) of the disaster," Director of Social Protection of Natural Disaster Victims Syafi'i Nasution said.

The ministry has established field kitchen and psychosocial support for the victims, he said.

Torrential rain has caused landslides that claimed 11 lives, and rendered eight others missing Cihanjuang Village, Cimanggung Sub-district, Sumedang District, West Java Province, on late Saturday.

"There were 22 victims buried by landslide materials in Cihanjuang Village, consisting of three survivors, 11 dead, and eight others missing," Deden Ridwansyah, Head of the Bandung Search and Rescue Office (SAR), said here on Sunday.

The first landslide triggered by downpour, occurred on Saturday at around 3:30 p.m. and it was followed by another landslide at around 7 p.m. local time.

Apart from local residents, the victims of the second landslide included members of the search team comprising military officers and Search and Rescue Office (Basarnas) personnel.

The number of fatalities might increase as the search team continued to look for more bodies under the landslide mud.
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Translator: Desi Purnamawati, Sri Haryati
Editor: Suharto
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