Landslides Claim 248 Lives In 2014

Jakarta, Dec 15 (Antara) - Landslides in 2014 have claimed the lives of at least 248 people, according to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho. "Tentative data on the disaster in 2014 indicated that 248 people had been killed due to landslides this year," Nugroho stated in a message sent from his Blackberry cellphone to Antara here on Sunday. He pointed out that landslides occur every year in Indonesia where around 40.9 million people are exposed to the dangers of landslides. "The deadly landslide in Banjarnegara district should have alerted us to pay more serious attention to a similar disaster," Nugroho remarked, adding that the increase in population, degradation of the environment, and more extreme rainfall have increased the risk of landslides. He pointed out that many areas in West Java, Central Java, and East Java are vulnerable to landslides every year. According to him, the areas prone to landslides are the districts of Bogor, Sukabumi, Ciangjur, Garut, Bandung, and Tasikmalaya in West Java; Purbalingga, Banjarnegara, Karanganyar, Wonosobo, Temanggung, Cilacap, Grobogan, Pemalang, Brebes, and Pekalongan in Central Java; and Pacitan, Ponorogo, Malang, and Jember in East Java.