Landslides kill 4 in Indonesia's East Java, 16 missing

At least 13 houses have been damaged in the landslide in Nganjuk, Indonesia, on Feb 15, 2021. PHOTO: AFP/INDONESIAN NATIONAL BOARD FOR DISASTER MANAGEMENT

JAKARTA (XINHUA, AFP) - At least four people have died and 16 are missing after a landslide caused by torrential rains swept away several homes in Indonesia, officials said Monday (Feb 15), with hundreds forced to flee their flooded homes.

According to the emergency response unit at the Nganjuk Social Affairs Agency, rescuers retrieved four bodies and rescued two people in Nganjuk district.

"Heavy lifting equipment is currently on its way to the location. And 16 people are still not found," the unit's coordinator, Mr Aris Trio Effendi, was quoted by state news agency Antara as saying on Monday.

Mr Effendi said the area with many residential houses is prone to landslides. At least 13 houses have been damaged.

According to him, at least 160 people have been evacuated.

"We cannot bring heavy equipment to the site of the landslides currently. However, we are currently trying to make our way," the East Java Search and Rescue Agency told AFP in a written statement.

Pasuruan, a town in the same province, was also flooded after a river overflowed due to the heavy rains, forcing more than 350 people to flee their homes, the agency added.

Indonesia is frequently stricken by landslides and flash floods during the rainy season.

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