The landslide occurred at the country's largest landfill outside Jakarta, which spans an area the size of 200 football fields and reaches more than 50 meters high. Rescue teams with hundreds of personnel are searching with dogs and excavators, and at least three people are still missing as more rain is expected. Among the deceased are two garbage truck drivers and two people who sold food in stalls near the landfill, according to multiple reports. The death toll has not been confirmed, with some reports citing seven sanitation and support workers killed on March 8, possibly reflecting different reporting times or inclusion criteria.
Indonesian authorities are pursuing a criminal investigation into two senior public health managers over alleged mismanagement at two of the country's largest landfill sites. The investigations were announced two months after President Prabowo Subianto publicly declared a 'war on waste'. Asep Kuswanto, former head of the Jakarta Environmental Agency, was charged on April 20 under the 2008 environment law. If convicted, he could face up to five years' imprisonment and a fine of up to 15 billion rupiah. On March 16, the environment ministry charged I Made Teja, former head of the Bali Environment Agency, in a case linked to conditions at the Suwung landfill. According to news.mongabay.com, Hanif Faisol Nurofiq described an environmental audit that found required standards had not been met.
We conducted an environmental audit, which found that required standards had not been met.
Sorry, governor and district leaders from Bali, but look, this is the reality of Bali in December 2025. This is the beach in Bali — why would tourists want to go there when they see all this garbage?