Algi Muhamad Gifari, West Bandung, W – Java. Families of victims still missing after a deadly landslide in Cisarua, West Bandung Regency, West Java, say they have come to terms with the official end of search operations, even as they cling to hopes that their loved ones' remains will one day be found.
A day after the joint search-and-rescue (SAR) mission was formally closed, relatives returned to the disaster site – now dry and dusty after weeks of excavation – to pray and quietly mark places where their homes once stood. Winds blowing down from Mount Burangrang stirred dust across the barren slope, a stark contrast to the densely settled villages that existed before the disaster.
"It's extremely hard for us as a family to let go," said Ai Neni, 36, whose relatives remain unaccounted for. "But fate has decided otherwise. We have done everything we could together with Basarnas, volunteers, and others. Still, we hope that one day our family members can be found, even if the remains are no longer intact."
Ai Neni said there was no longer any expectation that new identifications would emerge from forensic examinations, leaving families to hope discoveries might occur during the recovery phase or through their own efforts. "Even if what we find are only bones, we will accept it. This is destiny," she said.
Sitting atop what she believes was once her parents' and elder sibling's home – where she grew up before marrying – Ai Neni recited prayers and verses from the Yasin chapter of the Quran. She believes spiritual efforts are now as important as physical searches.
Of the 14 members of her extended family killed in the landslide, 11 bodies have been recovered. Three – her sibling and two nieces – remain missing. After praying, she and other relatives poured water onto the ground and scattered colorful flower petals, a symbolic gesture meant to honor the dead and reaffirm that they have not been forgotten.
"This is our way of showing we never abandon our family," she said. "It speaks to the heart."
Despite the end of official operations, families say they will continue searching independently using basic tools and their memory of where homes once stood. "We know this land. We know where the house was," Ai Neni said. "We will keep looking."
She expressed gratitude to the joint SAR teams for recovering 11 members of her family. "I can only repay them with prayers," she added.
The landslide struck on Jan. 24, destroying dozens of homes across Kampung Pasir Kuning, Babakan and Kampung Pasir Kuda in the Cisarua area of West Bandung Regency. Entire neighborhoods were flattened, leaving behind a scarred landscape and deep trauma among survivors.
The Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) officially ended SAR operations on Feb. 13 after 22 days, following the lifting of the emergency response status by local authorities earlier in the month.
During the operation, joint SAR teams recovered 101 body bags. Of those, 83 victims were successfully identified by the Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) unit of the West Java Police and returned to their families for burial. Authorities recorded 104 reports of missing persons related to the disaster.