Indonesia resumes search for 80 after landslide kills 10 in West Java

INDONESIAN authorities resumed search-and-rescue efforts for 80 people missing after a landslide killed 10 in a residential area of West Java province.

The landslide early on Saturday (Jan 24) was triggered by heavy rains starting the day before, which the weather agency warned could continue for a week in the province and several other regions.

Resident Dedi Kurniawan, 36, said it was the first big landslide he had witnessed in Pasir Langu village in a hilly area of the province about 100 km south-east of Indonesia’s capital, Jakarta.

“Sometimes we have only small floods from the nearest river, but this time (the landslide) came from the forest,” he told Reuters.

Rescuers were hampered on Saturday as unstable terrain and rains hindered them from deploying heavy machinery, Kompas TV reported, citing authorities.

There were multiple reports of floods in West Java, including Jakarta. The floods have caused residents in heavily impacted areas to evacuate to higher ground or unaffected places.

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The landslide occurred two months after cyclone-induced floods and landslides on the island of Sumatra killed 1,200 people, destroyed homes and displaced over a million residents. REUTERS