Struggling to Face the Risk of Landslides in the Search for Banjarnegara Landslide Victims

The search for landslide victims in Banjarnegara Regency, Central Java, is still ongoing. The search and rescue team must also face the challenge of potential landslides while searching for victims. How are these challenges being overcome?

On Wednesday (19/11/2025) approaching 14:00 WIB, the search and rescue team found one body of a landslide victim in Situkung Hamlet, Pandanarum Village, Pandanarum District, Banjarnegara. The victim was identified as Tuwi (50), a resident of Situkung Hamlet.

With this discovery, the number of fatalities due to the landslide that occurred on Sunday (16/11/2025) around 16:00 WIB has increased to three people. Previously, a victim named Lewih (40) was found and evacuated on Monday at 06:33 WIB.

"With the discovery of one victim, the number of residents still missing has become 25, down from the previous 26," said Commander of the 0704/Banjarnegara Military District Lieutenant Colonel (CZI) Teguh Prasetyanto at a press conference in Pandanarum District on Wednesday evening.

The search and rescue (SAR) operation in Sector C was conducted using 4 mini excavators. In Sector A, 2 mini excavators were also deployed, and manual searches were carried out. The discovery of the victim's body in area A2 occurred after information was received from the victim's family and an assessment by the SAR team.

The Director of Operations and Maintenance at the Ministry of Public Works, Adi Umar Dani, stated that on Wednesday evening, 5 mini excavators were deployed near Sectors A, B, and C. In addition, there are 9 other excavators that are ready to be dispatched to the Pandanarum area. "In total, we will deploy 18 excavators," said Adi.

The Head of the Semarang Search and Rescue Office, Budiono, stated that the integrated search and rescue operation was only able to locate and evacuate victims from the landslide debris on the fourth day. The operation was hindered by the saturated soil conditions, which posed a danger to the safety of all operation members.

The landslide originated from the collapse of a hill on the northern side, which the residents named Bukit Guntur. The peak or crown of the hill collapsed, causing damage over an area of 10-11 hectares. The extent of the landslide from the crown to the end is more than 1 kilometer.

The extensive area of damage has led to the search and rescue operations being divided into three sectors, namely Sector A, B, and C. Sector A has even been further divided into parts A1 and A2.

Of the three sectors, Sector C was breached first, allowing for the deployment of heavy machinery. On Wednesday afternoon, Sector A was breached, enabling two excavators to be operated and assist in the search for victims. In Sector B, the deployment of excavators is still hindered by the presence of a reservoir and a water source above it.

Professor of Geology at Gadjah Mada University, Yogyakarta, Dwikorita Karnawati, stated that the search and rescue team must be vigilant about the increased vulnerability of the soil due to cracks that are saturated with water flow.

"Water from reservoirs and springs must be diverted to reduce soil vulnerability in disaster locations," he stated while accompanying and providing assessments to the search and rescue team.

To that end, the search and rescue team requested the Ministry of Public Works team to deploy an excavator to Sector B to expedite the construction of the diversion and the installation of pipes. On Wednesday, the diversion was created manually, allowing water to still seep through and posing a risk of subsequent land movement.

In Sector B, the search and rescue team is attempting to reduce the flow and volume of water using five pumps. However, the reservoir has yet to dry up. In fact, from Wednesday evening until 7:00 PM WIB, the Pandanarum area was drenched with heavy rain.

The use of five water pumps was also carried out in Sector A to reduce the accumulation of materials that were burying the houses. Once the houses were visible, excavators moved in to lift the building materials so that the team could search for and evacuate the victims.

The Acting Director of Emergency Infrastructure at the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), Johan Darmawan, requested that during the search and rescue operation on the fifth day, or Thursday (20/11/2025), the location be more sterile from the movement of residents and volunteers whose work is not optimal.

On Wednesday, residents were indeed coming and going to retrieve their belongings, documents, and vehicles. "If the volunteers who are visible cannot do anything, they should just be asked to leave. We must not let the search and rescue operations turn into a disaster tourism activity," said Johan.

Water from reservoirs and springs must be diverted to reduce the vulnerability of the land at disaster locations.

The National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) is also working on the installation of surveillance cameras, telecommunication signal devices, and support for search and rescue operations broadcast through social media. This method was previously implemented in the handling of the collapsed building of Al-Khoziny Islamic Boarding School in Buduran, Sidoarjo, East Java, which resulted in the deaths of 63 students on September 29, 2025.

By broadcasting the search and rescue operation, there will be restrictions on access for journalists to approach the location, except for photo and video journalists who have received approval from the command post. The post must be able to provide information on the progress of the search and rescue operation, with the latest developments presented in a press conference every day around 6:00 PM WIB.

"This is solely for the safety of all those involved in the SAR operation," said Johan.