A landslide striking Waetama village, South Buru district, last Friday at 10 am buried 18 people and left seven others injured, a source said. "The landslide happens as a result of heavy rain which has been pounded this area for five days. The rain creates crack in the hills near a housing complex and causes landslide," Iga Latwael, a local resident who had his right rib fractured said. Sneu Latwael (56), another local people, said he along with several villagers was trying to shift flood from entering the house when he heard a strong sound of rumble coming from the backyard of the village. "In seconds, landslide has covered several houses and buried the people in there," he said. The seven injured victims including a 3 month-old baby who suffered rib and leg fracture were taken to Haulussy hospital, Ambon, on Monday night (July 26) using a boat. Chief of Health Services at the hospital, Dr. Ita Sabrina, said the injured victims had to wait for three days before receiving medical treatment at Haulussy hospital due to the rarity of sea transportation that could bring them to Ambon city. Last Saturday, landslide also happened in Sausu subdistrict, Central Sulawesi province. The landslide hit seven houses at Gandasari village, Sausu subdistrict. Luckily, nobody was hurt in the incident, according to ANTARA.
