A 33-year-old mother and her three-year-old son were killed in a landslide that crushed their house in Prapatan village here Saturday at 10.30 pm local time. Some residents said here Sunday, Rukmawati and her son, Heri, died but her two relatives staying in the same house, Rohim (32) and Triyada Rahmawati (26) survived and had been rescued, ANTARA reported. The two survivors were then rushed to the Balikpapan public hospital for medical treatment, they said. The landslide occurred during heavy rains showering the city for four hours. The torrential rains also triggered floods in villages. The flood waters submerged thousands of houses in villages as Damai, Gunung Sari Ulu, and Gunung Sari Ilir. Balikpapan Mayor Rizal Effendi called on his people living in the landslide prone villages to remain alert. "We have repeatedly warned our people not to stay on the cliffs," he said. Balikpapan city has a lot hilly areas, which are prone to natural disasters, including Prapatan and Gunung Kemendur. The city government has installed the warning notices. During the rainy season, many parts of Indonesia are hit by floods and landslides. In the West Java regency of Garut, for instance, muddy floods and landslides hit six hamlets, triggering hundreds of families there to ask for relocation from the local government. The landslides had not only paralyzed traffic and industries' activities but also killed at least two Bandung residents this week.
