Three siblings were found dead and another individual sustained injuries after being buried in a house in the Immanuel APO church complex in Jayapura Utara, Jayapura, Papua, following a landslide caused by heavy rain on Saturday.
The three siblings are Agustina Soisa, a 17-year-old female student from senior high school SMU Mandala Jayapura; Ardelia Saimina, a 23-year-old female teacher; and Jean Melinda, a 26-year-old female teacher. Hans Loen, a 40-year-old male teacher, also sustained injuries. Some of the house’s occupants were still sleeping when the landslide destroyed the house.
Maradona, 32, the elder brother of the three siblings, said that he was sitting on the terrace of the house when he saw the retaining wall, which surrounded their house, begin to crack. He ran outside of the house shortly before the landslide began, burying the house with his younger sisters still sleeping inside.
Maradona then sought assistance from neighbors as he tried to save his sisters, but found difficulties evacuating the victims due to uninterrupted heavy rain.
Around 12:00 p.m. local time, police officers from Jayapura City Police arrived at the location and started to evacuate the victims. Only one victim had survived by the time the police had succeeded in evacuating four victims from the house’s ruins at 1:35 a.m. local time on Sunday.
“The victims were brought to the Dok II Jayapura Hospital for an examination and at around 3:00 a.m. local time, early on Sunday, they were returned to their family’s house at the APO Jayapura for a burial procession,” said the Papua Police spokesperson Sr.Comr.I Gede Sumerta Jaya.
Flooding has cut road access connecting Jayapura City and Abepura. Flood waters inundated roads in the Papua Trade Centre (PTC) complex in Entrop, with vehicles unable to pass through the area.
“We had to stay overnight in Jayapura because our vehicle could not pass through PTC Entrop due to flooding,” said Hesty, a local resident of Abepura.
Flooding also inundated Youtefa, the biggest traditional market in Jayapura City. As a result, vendors had to move their trade activities to areas along the roads.
Previously, four-year-old Kotje Hitjaubessi was killed after being buried in her home in Dok IX Jayapura Utara, Jayapura City, following a landslide on Jan.24.