JAKARTA: Rescuers are ramping up efforts to find two missing individuals in the South Sulawesi landslide disaster, which claimed 18 lives on Saturday, according to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB).
Search operations continue on the second day, with local residents joining forces after Sunday evening’s pause due to cloudy weather, drizzle, and the risk of more landslides.
The agency’s spokesperson Abdul Muhari, in a statement, said that the two missing individuals are in the Makale sub-district, Tana Toraja, where 14 were previously found dead.
“In the South Makale sub-district, the casualty toll rose to four after one missing person was discovered deceased,“ he said, adding that 77 survivors have sought temporary refuge in a nearby church building.
The Tana Toraja Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) has reported material losses due to the landslide incident that occurred at 7 pm local time. The losses include six houses in Makale and one in South Makale, all buried under debris from the landslide.
