"The 114 police personnel, including Mobile Brigade Corps (Brimob) and alert personnel (Samapta), continue to look for the missing victims, totaling 21 people," Polri's Head of Public Information, Brigadier General Ahmad Ramadhan, stated here on Friday.
Ramadhan explained that based on the information he obtained from the Riau Islands Regional Police on Thursday (March 9) at 7 p.m. local time, the death toll due to a landslide in Natuna reached 33.
The figure did not include the still missing victims, and in order to find them, the Polri, Indonesian Military (TNI), and other stakeholders have deployed heavy equipment to help in the search operation in addition to using manual methods.
There is also a team of policewomen and a team of psychologists offering trauma healing for child victims.
"The police also set up a public kitchen for the victims at the cross-border post," Ramadhan stated.
At an earlier press conference, he announced that the National Police has operated a hotline at 0811-691-4646 and 0852-7227-8707 to receive complaints, including reports of missing victims.
Meanwhile, the Natuna Communication and Informatics Office also offers a hotline service at 0887-0819-7717.
"In principle, the police, along with the military and other stakeholders, are doing their best to help the victims," Ramadhan remarked.
At least 1,216 people were displaced by the landslide disaster in Pangkalan Village, Serasan Sub-district, Natuna, Riau Islands, on Monday (March 6).
The 1,216 evacuees were at four locations: 219 at the cross-border post, 215 at the Serasan Health Center, 500 at Al Furqon Mosque, and 282 at a public high school.
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Translator: Putu S, Kenzu
Editor: Sri Haryati
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