A six-meter cliff mudslide struck a home in the village of Ban, Karangasem, last night, resulting in the death of two family members and the injury of a further 12.
The house, which belonged to I Nengah Suarta, was crowded at the time of the accident because relatives had come to visit a sick family member, according to an article by Kumparan. The whole group were reportedly watching television together when debris from the landslide collided with the residence at around 7pm.
With most of the party trapped inside, Suarta’s son, I Komang Andre, was somehow able to find a way out. Andre immediately sought the help of neighbors, and authorities were soon called to the scene.
The evacuation effort was carried out by a joint team that included village officials, personnel from the Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD), Kubu Police, and Karangasem search and rescue (SAR) teams.
By 11pm, all of the victims were evacuated and taken to the nearby Kubu Health Center for treatment. Among them were three toddlers and a pregnant woman with injuries to the legs and face, according to information from the BPBD cited by Kumparan.
Sadly, two people, namely Ni Ketut Puspa, 20, and Ni Ketut Martini, 19, could not be saved. Puspa reportedly died on the scene while the younger woman passed away at the health center.
Mudslides have been a frequent occurrence over the past few weeks in Bali. Last week’s torrential downpours caused a Tabanan home to collapse into the river below, though thankfully, there were no human casualties on that occasion.
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