Natuna, Riau Island (ANTARA) - The Natuna District Government in Riau Islands Province announced a seven-day emergency response period, from March 6 to March 12, 2023, due to landslides that struck the region on Monday (March 6, 2023).
A landslide from Mount Jemenang hit the villages of Pangkalan and Jermalik in Serasan Sub-district on Monday afternoon. Another landslide also hit Air Nusa Village, East Serasan Sub-district.
According to a press release of the Joint Serasan and East Serasan Sub-Districts Disaster Response Team, as of Tuesday at 7 a.m. Western Indonesia Standard Time (WIB), the disaster had claimed 10 lives in Serasan Sub-district, six of which had been identified.
Furthermore, 47 people are declared missing, four victims are in critical condition, while three people are undergoing an outpatient treatment, the joint team stated.
Some 219 residents of Serasan Sub-district took refuge at Cross-Border Posts (PLBN) Serasan, 215 people at the local community health center (puskesmas), and 282 people at Serasan 1 Public Senior High School.
In addition, a total of 500 people took shelter at the Pelimpak refuge post and Al Furqon Mosque.
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Natuna District’s Communication and Informatics Office also reported that 26 houses and one surau -- an Islamic assembly building smaller than the mosque originating from Sumatra and the Malay Peninsula -- were buried by the landslide in Serasan Sub-district.
Meanwhile, the residents in East Serasan Sub-district were reported to have fled to the local village hall. However, no report had, so far, been received of casualties and the exact number of refugees in East Serasan Sub-district.
The Search and Rescue Office (Kansar) of Natuna District, the Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) of Natuna District, and the District Military Command (Kodim) 0318/Natuna had deployed several personnel to help the search and rescue (SAR) operation in the disaster-affected areas.
Kansar sent 24 personnel, while Kodim dispatched 12 personnel using the Sasikirana 245 SAR Ship and Natuna 03 Rigid Inflatable Boat (RIB).
The Kansar and Kodim personnel as well as entourage of the head of Natuna District, Wan Siswandi, arrived at the disaster location, which took a five-hour journey through the sea from Ranai, the capital of Natuna District.
The sub-districts of Serasan and East Serasan are located on Serasan Island that shares its border with Kuching, Serawak, Malaysia.
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