Ilham Oktafian, Jakarta – Indonesian Navy Chief of Staff Muhammad Ali on Monday confirmed that 23 Indonesian Marines were buried by a landslide in the Cisarua area of West Bandung, West Java.

Ali said four of the Marines had been found dead following the landslide, which occurred on Jan. 24, while the remaining 19 personnel are still missing.

"It is true that 23 Marines were buried by the landslide. So far, four personnel have been found deceased, and the others have not yet been located. Search efforts are ongoing," Ali told reporters at the [text missing] building in Jakarta.

He said the Marines had been deployed to Cisarua for training exercises ahead of an assignment to the Papua – Papua New Guinea border.

According to Ali, the area had been hit by heavy rainfall for nearly two consecutive nights, which likely triggered the landslide that struck a nearby village where the marines were conducting training.

"There was intense rainfall for almost two nights. That may have caused the landslide, which happened to hit a village where our personnel were training," he said.

Search and rescue operations are continuing for the 19 missing Marines. Ali said the operation involves drones, thermal sensors, and K9 tracking units, as heavy machinery has not yet been able to access the site due to poor weather conditions and narrow access roads.

"Heavy equipment cannot yet enter the area because of the weather and limited road access. For now, we are conducting searches using drones, thermal sensors, and tracking dogs," he said.

Source: https://jakartaglobe.id/news/23-indonesian-marines-buried-in-west-java-landslide-four-confirmed-dea