West Java Police Operations Chief Senior Commissioner Areis La Ode Aries El Fathar said the information circulating after Saturday’s landslide had caused confusion and public concern over the scale of the disaster.
He said the figure of 108 referred to residents who came to the Disaster Victim Identification post to submit ante-mortem data for identification purposes.
“One victim can be represented by two or three family members reporting,” Areis said, stressing that the number of reporters could not be used as a benchmark for missing victims.
He added that police continued to accept reports from the public even if families were unable to present identity cards or family registration documents.
On the identification process, Areis said 20 body bags had been successfully identified from the first day of the disaster through Monday at 6:30 p.m. local time.
He said a total of 38 body bags are currently at a community health center, with 18 still undergoing identification by the police DVI team.
“The identification process is ongoing and will resume again tomorrow,” Areis said.
Separately, Bandung Search and Rescue Agency Head Ade Dian Permana said his team continued searching for dozens of residents believed to remain buried after handing over 38 body bags to police investigators.
“So the total findings from the first day through the third day amount to 38 body bags,” Ade said.
He stressed that data on missing victims remains dynamic and may increase or decrease as new reports are verified and cross-checked by authorities.
Ade said search teams continue using the term “evacuation of body bags” because not all remains are intact and require further identification to prevent duplicate victim records.
The landslide hit Kampung Babakan in Pasirlangu Village, Cisarua Subdistrict, following heavy rainfall, triggering a large-scale emergency response involving police, rescuers and forensic teams.
Authorities said search, recovery and identification efforts would continue until all victims are accounted for and conditions in the affected area are declared safe.
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Translator: Ilham N, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: M Razi Rahman
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