Hargo.co.id, NORTH SUMATRA – The North Sumatra Police Chief, Police Inspector General Agung Setya Imam Effendi, inspected the search process for victims in Humbang Hasundutan Regency on Friday (12/1/2023).
During his visit to the flood and landslide location, the Police Chief was accompanied by the Acting Governor of North Sumatra and the Regional Military Commander I/Bukit Barisan.
He stated that the joint personnel of the TNI-Polri (Indonesian National Armed Forces and Police) and the Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), along with the community, are still actively searching for missing victims.
“We are still focused on searching for the 11 people identified to be in the disaster area, but they have not been found yet,” said the Police Chief.
“A number of heavy equipment are still clearing the landslide material, consisting of large rocks that buried houses and road access,” he added.
He revealed that 120 families have been evacuated to the Village Hall in Balaraja Subdistrict.
They are in a safer place temporarily to anticipate the possibility of subsequent landslides.
“The North Sumatra Police, Military Regional Command I Bukit Barisan, Provincial Government, Humbang Hasundutan Police, and Regional Government have distributed aid to the affected communities,” said the Police Chief.
“We hope this assistance can meet the living needs of the landslide-affected communities during their evacuation,” he added.
Additionally, they have established ante-mortem and post-mortem identification posts.
He also requested proper disaster management by dividing zones for handling disaster locations, victims, and affected communities.
Previously, flash floods and landslides occurred in Dusun III, Simangulampe Village, Bakti Raja Subdistrict, Humbang Hasundutan Regency (Humbahas), on Friday (12/1).
In this disaster, 12 people went missing, and 13 houses were damaged, buried under landslide materials.
The identities of the missing victims include Sartika Simanjuntak and Ceriah Banjarnahor.(*)
Release: Public Relations of the National Police Headquarters
