REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Minister of Religious Affairs Lukman Hakim Saifuddin has instructed the head of Central Java's Religious Affairs Office, Ahmad,  to take proactive steps and immediately help the victims of a landslide in Jemblung Hamlet, Sampang Village, Banjarnegara, Central Java.

Earlier, Minister Lukman Hakim Saifuddin has extended his condolences to the victims of the landslide which took place on Friday evening and buried more than 100 villagers.

"I hope the Central Java Religious Affairs Office and the secretary general of the Ministry of Religious Affairs will take part in alleviating the burden of the victims," the minister said on Sunday.

The joint rescue team has informed that up to Sunday evening, rescue workers had discovered the bodies of 39 victims while 69 others were still missing. They are believed to have been buried by the avalanche.

The ministry of public works has deployed 13 units of heavy equipment to Jemblung hamlet in Central Java to expedite evacuation of victims still buried in the landslide that happened on Friday leaving more than 30 people dead so far.

"So evacuation has been carried out manually as the access road is blocked by landslide. We have now deployed 13 heavy equipment including excavators and bulldozers," public works minister Basuki Hadimuljono said at the location on Sunday.

He said the equipment would be operated from two directions namely from Banjarmangu and Karangkobar to move the earth that had blocked the road for as far as 500 meter long. He said in the section of the road there is also a bridge that has been buried more than 10 meter deep.

He hoped the road could be opened in five days so that the excavators could reach the site of landslide to speed up evacuation of the victims. President Joko Widodo visited the site of the landslide on Sunday and called for prioritizing evacuation efforts.

Jokowi, as the president is popularly called, accompanied by First Lady Iriana, took an opportunity to look at the area that had been buried by the landslide.

The village head of Sampang, Purwanto, said President Jokowi had given some money to each family of the landslide victims especially those whose houses had been buried by the landslide.

He said the President also extended 20 million IDR to him to be used for meeting the needs of evacuees in the next few days.

"A total of 82 families consisting of 253 people lived in Jemblung helmet and around 100 people had been buried in the landslide," he said.

A total of 649 evacuees are not being accommodated at 12 evacuation centers including some from other hamlets threatened by landslide.

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