Heavy rain throughout Monday and early Tuesday resulted in several landslides in Bali’s Tabanan Regency, the most severe culminating in a house collapsing into the Yeh Panan River late on Monday night. Luckily, the home, which was located in the “G” block of the Multi Griya Sandan Sari Housing complex in the Sanggulan area, was uninhabited.
According to a report in Nusa Bali, the house, No. G-42, had been empty for over a year while its owner, identified as “Rachmat,” lived in Denpasar. It’s unclear exactly why Rachmat chose not to take up residence in the house, but in any case, it seems like a lucky escape.
Bagas Alif, a resident of the neighboring property, witnessed No. G-42 fall into the river. Talking to the source, he described how he and his family had felt too anxious to sleep due to the torrential rain that night. Then, at around 10:30pm, the sound of a “roar” sent the whole family scrambling for the door.
“At the time, we were panicking…moving our motorbikes and cars, and trying to see what else we could save,” said Alif.
Unfortunately for the house next door, none of the contents could be salvaged. “There were no items that could be saved. At this point, the losses cannot be estimated,” said Putu Trisna Widiatmiko, head of logistics at the Regional Disaster Management Agency, to Bali Post.
As a precaution against the possibility of further landslides caused by this wet weather, those living close to the river have been evacuated from the estate; around seven families according to Nusa Bali.
Mudslides are not unusual at this time of the year. Last month’s heavy rains resulted in a landslide that tragically killed a mother and three children.
