The Search for Victims Is Ongoing

KOMPAS/JUMARTO YULIANUS

The process of evacuating victims from the ruins of a three-story Alfamart shop house in Gambut District, Banjar Regency, South Kalimantan, Monday (18/4/2022) night.

MARTAPURA, KOMPAS — A three-story shophouse building in Gambut district, Banjar regency, South Kalimantan, collapsed on Monday afternoon (4/18/2022). It is estimated that a dozen people were trapped inside the building when the incident occurred.

The shophouse building that collapsed was Alfamart's modern convenience store. The location is on Jl. Ahmad Yani, the main access to the Trans-Kalimantan highway.

Deputy chief of the banjar Police, Comr. Mohammad Fihim, said that the shophouse building collapsed at around 17:00 WITA (Indonesia central time). "The building suddenly collapsed without any previous signs," he said, while leading the evacuation of victims at the scene.

The victims were then taken to the Sultan Agung Islamic Hospital, Banjarbaru, South Kalimantan, for intensive treatment.

From the evacuation that was carried out until 21:00 WITA, Fihim added, as many as seven victims were successfully evacuated from the ruins of the building. They are still alive. The victims were then taken to the Sultan Agung Islamic Hospital, Banjarbaru, South Kalimantan, for intensive treatment.

Regarding the identities of the victims, Fihim has not been able to reveal them. "Information that we got from the Alfamart manager: the number of employees at the store at the time of the incident was estimated at 7-8 people, while the number of visitors could not be ascertained," he said.

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According to Fihim, his team together with the Banjarmasin SAR Agency, Regional Disaster Management Agency, the Indonesian Red Cross and volunteers are still focusing on evacuating the victims. "Valid information regarding the incident and the victims can only be conveyed after the evacuation process is complete," he said.

From observations in the field on Monday night, the shophouse building collapsed to the ground. A number of heavy equipment were deployed to comb through the rubble. The location of the incident was packed with residents who wanted to see the evacuation process, causing a long traffic jam on Jl. Ahmad Yani.

MARINA EKATARI

Efforts to rescue victims buried under the rubble of a minimarket building in Gambut District, Banjar Regency, South Kalimantan, lasted until this morning, Tuesday (19/4/2022).

Head of the Operations and Alert subsection of the Banjarmasin SAR Agency, Wasino, said that his team received information by telephone that there was a collapsed building in Gambut before the break-the-fast time.

Banjarmasin SAR Agency immediately dispatched two rescue teams totalling 18 people to evacuate the victims. "We estimate that there are dozens of people buried under the rubble of the modern convenience store building," he said in a written statement.

According to Wasino, the number of victims buried under the rubble has yet to be ascertained. "However, we ensure that all victims will be evacuated. Of course, we are cooperating with all joint SAR teams currently at the location," he said.

A set of emergency lighting and other types of lighting were installed at the scene of the incident.

The joint SAR team continued to work to get the victims out of the rubble and into the night. A set of emergency lighting and other types of lighting were installed at the scene of the incident.

"We also use supporting equipment, such as search cams, thermals, rescue radars and life detectors to assist the rescue team at the location," he said.

Work shift

Head of Banjarmasin SAR Agency Al Amrad added that the height of the store building before it collapsed was approximately 1Aq Q2 meters. At the time of the incident, the convenience store employee was conducting a transaction process with the buyer while awaiting the schedule of work shifts for the store employees.

KOMPAS/JUMARTO YULIANUS

The process of evacuating victims from the ruins of a three-story Alfamart shop house in Gambut District, Banjar Regency, South Kalimantan, Monday (18/4/2022) night.

“We got a lot of screenshots of the CCTV images installed at the convenience store before it collapsed. We hope that all the victims who have not been evacuated can be rescued soon. We will maximize the time to save [the victims] along with the joint SAR team at the location," said Al Amrad as the SAR Mission Coordinator at the location.

Abdul Zaid (50), a resident of Gambut whose house is right across from the Alfamart, said that the shophouse building collapsed very quickly. “I suddenly heard a thud as soon as I got to the front of my house. In fact, I just came from the store [Alfamart],” he said.

According to Zaid, the Alfamart building is a three-story shophouse and consists of three doors. Two doors are used by Alfamart, while the other door is empty. "As far as I remember, Alfamart was built 10 years ago," he said. (JUM)

(This article was translated by Kurniawan Siswo)