Landslide Buries Mamasa-Mamuju National Road, Access Completely Cut Off

TheIndonesia.co - The National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) reported that access to the national road connecting the districts of Mamasa and Mamuju in West Sulawesi remains cut off due to landslide.

Head of the BNPB Disaster Data, Information and Communication Center, Abdul Muhari, noted in a report received here on Friday that road access was severed following a landslide that hit the local area on Tuesday (May 21) afternoon at around 15:30 p.m. local time.

The BNPB Disaster Management Operations Control Center (Pusdalops) team also reported that currently, road access between the sub-districts of Bambang and Mambi was also completely cut off, thereby stalling the movement of two- and four-wheeled vehicles.

"The data currently collected shows that 1,270 residents are still displaced due to landslides in Mamasa District," he stated, as quoted by Antara.

He remarked that thousands of landslide victims were residents spread across 27 villages in the sub-districts of Bambang, Tarim, Mambi, and Aralle.

They fled to the homes of their relatives or families around the location of the incident that was safer.

The BNPB confirmed that currently, several heavy equipment had been deployed for handling the landslide material that buried the road, including closing residential areas, so that the road can again be usable for the community.

A joint team comprising members of the Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), military, police, and the National Search and Relief Agency (Basarnas), continues to prioritize the distribution of logistics assistance, such as basic necessities and equipment for victims during the post-disaster normalization process.

They are optimistic that the efforts to deal with the impact of the disaster would proceed quickly after the Mamasa Regent determines the Landslide Emergency Response Status in line with Letter No.360/KPTS-111/V/2024 valid for the next 14 days.