West Bandung: landslide buries village, 16 dead and dozens missing

The mass of mud and debris struck about thirty homes in Pasirlangu during the night. The disaster was caused by the collapse of a natural dam, raising questions about poor watercourse control measures and violations of land-use planning regulations. In recent days, Prabowo had revoked the forest exploitation licences of 28 companies after floods in northern Sumatra.

Jakarta (AsiaNews) - The death toll from the violent landslide that struck the village of Pasirlangu, in the district of Cisarua, in the province of West Bandung, Indonesia, has risen to at least 16. Dozens of people are still missing as search and rescue operations continue unabated.

According to local authorities, 113 residents were affected by the disaster: 23 were rescued, while more than 70 are still missing and feared to be buried under tonnes of mud, rocks and uprooted trees. Another 230 residents from surrounding areas have been evacuated and transferred to government shelters.

The landslide occurred in the early hours of Saturday morning, around 3 a.m., while the population was asleep, burying about 30 homes in the village of Pasirlangu. Joint teams from the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas), the Indonesian Armed Forces, the police, local authorities and numerous volunteers are working on site.

Rescue operations are particularly difficult due to the instability of the ground, the rugged terrain and persistent rainfall, which continues to hamper access to some areas. The use of heavy equipment is limited due to the risk of secondary landslides. The Geological Agency of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources has urged the population to remain on alert for the possibility of further landslides.

According to geology expert Imam Achmad Sadisun of the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), this was not an ordinary landslide. The disaster was caused by the sudden collapse of a natural landslide dam formed upstream. The landslide material from the slopes of Mount Burangrang blocked the waterways, creating an accumulation which, once it gave way, generated a violent flow of mud, sand and rock debris heading downstream at high speed.

The event affected several areas, including Kampung Pasirkuning and Kampung Pasirkuda in the village of Pasirlangu, and Kampung Sukadami in the village of Sukajaya, in the district of Lembang. Experts warn that the danger has not yet been averted, as there may be further river obstructions upstream ready to give way in the event of further heavy rainfall.

Imam also stressed the importance of monitoring sudden changes in river flow, considered an early warning sign that is often underestimated. Living along riverbanks carries a high risk, and prevention strategies, he explained, must include structural measures such as debris flow barriers and ground monitoring systems.

Meanwhile, environmentalists are also pointing the finger at land management. According to Walhi, one of Indonesia's leading environmental organisations, the landslide was not only the result of a natural event, but the consequence of years of environmental degradation and violations of land-use planning regulations in the North Bandung Area, a protected area that is crucial to the hydrogeological balance of the Bandung basin, one of the most densely populated areas in the country.

The new tragedy comes after the Indonesian government last week - in the wake of the serious disasters caused by the November floods - took a hard line against irregular companies managing forest areas in the provinces of Aceh, North Sumatra and West Sumatra. President Prabowo Subianto has decided to revoke the Forest Use Permits of 28 companies deemed responsible for serious violations.

The decision was taken following a report presented by the Forest Area Control Task Force, which has conducted in-depth investigations in recent weeks. According to the government, the measure is part of a broader strategy to strengthen control over forests and combat illegal practices that contribute to environmental degradation and increase the risk of natural disasters.

• Indonesia
• West Bandung
• landslides
• territory
• environment