Death toll from landslide in Indonesia’s West Java rises to 17

JAKARTA - The death toll from a landslide that hit Indonesia’s West Java province at the weekend rose to 17 on Jan 26, the country’s disaster mitigation agency said, with dozens still missing.

The landslide that hit a residential area

in the Bandung Barat region early on Jan 24 was triggered by heavy rains starting the day before, which the weather agency warned could continue in the province and several other regions for another week.

The impacted Pasir Langu village is located in a hilly area of the province about 100km south-east of Indonesia’s capital, Jakarta.

More than 30 houses were buried by the landslide, the agency said.

At least 17 have died from the landslide, agency spokesperson Abdul Muhari told Reuters on Jan 26, with 73 still missing.

The agency said on Jan 25 that a smaller landslide together with bad weather was hindering the search, which requires drones and heavy equipment.

Flash floods hit several parts of Indonesia last week, including West Java and Jakarta, forcing residents to flee their homes and evacuate to higher ground.

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