A man has died after being caught in a landslide on Lombok Island in Indonesia on Wednesday 10 January 2017. Amaq Riki, 35, was travelling in a car with two friends near Pelawangan in the Sembalun Subdistrict at about 6.30 am, when they encountered a previous landslip. They were stopped at the site when they were hit by a second event.
A team clearing a road after a landslide near Pelawangan, Lombok, on 10 January 2017. NTB Disaster Mitigation.
The event happened after heavy rainfall in the area. Landslides are a common problem after severe weather events, as excess
pore water pressure can overcome cohesion in soil and sediments,
allowing them to flow like liquids. Approximately 90% of all landslides
are caused by heavy rainfall. Lombok has a tropical climate with rainy and dry seasons. The rainy season lasts from October to April with November being the wettest month, but January still often receiving around a 100 mm of rainfall.
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