Landslide in Indonesia killed 32 people, 22 still missing

The death toll in Indonesia’s natural disaster has risen to 32 after rescue workers recovered more bodies from the rubble following a massive landslide on remote Natuna island. Officials gave this information on Thursday. The National Disaster Prevention Agency said in a statement that the search operation was being conducted in Genting village on a remote island in the Natuna region off the South China Sea. There, 30 houses were buried under the debris in the landslide that occurred on Monday following torrential rains.

Abdul Rahman, head of Natuna’s search and rescue agency, said authorities have deployed more than 700 rescuers from the search and rescue agency, the police and the army to search for the 22 people who are still missing. These people are feared to be trapped in the houses buried under the debris of the landslide. “With the improvement in weather, we were able to recover more bodies,” Rahman said in a video statement.

Suharyanto, the head of the National Disaster Response Agency, said on Thursday that eight people were pulled alive from the rubble, three of whom remained in critical condition. The rescue operation is being affected due to heavy rain at the spot. “We are doing our best to trace the missing people,” Suhriyanto said, adding that dog squads were also being used. Two helicopters and several ships arrived on Wednesday carrying rescue teams, medical teams and relief supplies including tents, blankets and food from Jakarta and surrounding islands.

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