Basarnas Chief Mohammad Syafii said on Sunday that the SAR operation was being carried out in stages, involving all relevant ministries and institutions, including the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) and the National Police in West Java.
“In this SAR operation, 250 trained personnel have joined the SAR team, with Basarnas acting as the coordinator, assisted by all ministries and institutions, including the army and the police,” he said.
In addition to the main SAR team, the search operation was supported by hundreds of other personnel from various agencies whose task was to help facilitate evacuation efforts in the field.
“Meanwhile, the support operations team consists of around 450 personnel,” he added.
Syafii stated that after conducting an initial assessment at the disaster site—from the main landslide point to other affected areas—the search area was divided into several sectors to maximize evacuation efforts.
The joint SAR team also deployed facilities and infrastructure via air and land routes, including 12 drones, personnel, and a number of heavy equipment units that remain on standby.
However, the use of heavy equipment has not been fully confirmed due to unstable terrain conditions that remain highly prone to further landslides. The dominant material in the area is sand and mud, which poses a risk to rescue teams.
“Heavy equipment cannot yet be fully utilized because the terrain is still landslide-prone, with sand and mud,” he explained.
Basarnas emphasized that the SAR operation is being carried out in stages, with additional coordination involving the Bandung SAR team to ensure optimal evacuation efforts.
The initial search target focuses on approximately 80 people believed to still be buried under landslide debris. Search efforts include the deployment of sniffer dogs (K9) from the police and the army, as well as weather modification measures.
“We have deployed K9 tracking dogs from both the army and the police. We are also hoping for favorable weather conditions and have implemented weather modification in collaboration with the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB),” he concluded.
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Translator: Ilham Nugraha, Katriana
Editor: M Razi Rahman
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