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CNN Live At Daybreak

Facts Mixed About Landslides in Indonesia

Aired August 02, 2001 - 08:23   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: We're going to check in with some of our other journalists who are working on stories around the world.

Maria Ressa, our Jakarta bureau chief.

Maria, can you hear me?

(CROSSTALK)

Yes, you were working on the landslides in Indonesia but apparently CNN has pulled back some resources. What's going on?

MARIA RESSA, CNN JAKARTA BUREAU CHIEF: Well, at this point, part of the problem really in covering the story is gauging how much of our resources do we put into it, first of all, to get accurate timely information right when the landslide happens.

In this instance, it took more than 48 hours for the first rescue teams to get to that site most affected. The area was so remote with communications down, transportation at a standstill, not even the Red Cross could guarantee their information was accurate. If you remember on Wednesday, they estimated about a hundred people dead, up to a thousand missing. Thursday, those numbers were scaled back dramatically. Some good news, 33 bodies recovered, more than a hundred still missing.

As far as CNN was concerned, we had decided to pull back once it was clear that the information was quite inaccurate and hard to rely on at that point early, early this morning -- Carol.

LIN: All right. Maria Ressa, sorting out what's true and what's not.

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