Rescue teams in Indonesia have pulled 53 bodies from a landslide in West Java, as rain and unstable ground hamper the fifth day of searches.
The landslide struck the Cisarua region in West Bandung Regency early Saturday, burying dozens of homes. Of the victims recovered, 35 have been identified, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) said Wednesday.
Survivors have been evacuated into temporary shelters as rescuers continue searching for dozens still missing. Lina, one of the survivors, said it was around 02:00 when she heard a thunderous noise and felt the ground shaking.
"I told my husband to wake our child. As he entered the room and opened the curtain, the wall collapsed on our child. All I could do was scream. I didn’t think to call for help. I just cried out for my child," she said.
Lina said her 12-year-old niece is still missing. She and her family now stay at a relative’s house as the landslide badly damaged her home, making it inhabitable.
Riska, another victim, said there was a power outage in the evening before the landslide, accompanied by heavy rain and gusty winds.
"I was so terrified I wouldn't survive. The thunderous noises kept repeating. Many thought it was a helicopter. It sounded exactly like that. Now, the sound of a helicopter terrifies me," she recalled the moment in the disaster.
Riska and her two children are now staying at a temporary shelter in the village.
Hundreds of evacuated people are crammed together in a sports hall renovated into a temporary shelter.
All they can do is to wait and rely on donations and local aid for daily food and clothes to wear.
Rescuers recover 53 bodies after deadly landslide in Indonesia's West Java
Rescuers recover 53 bodies after deadly landslide in Indonesia's West Java
