JAKARTA – Rescuers on a remote Indonesian island are searching for signs of life on Tuesday following a landslide that killed 15 people, said the country’s disaster agency.

The rescuers are also waiting for equipment and reinforcements to find 42 people who are still missing.

The landslide on Monday followed six days of torrential rain and buried houses on a village on the island of Searasan in the Natuna region, about 80km off the island of Borneo.

Mr Abdul Muhari, a spokesman for the disaster agency, said the landslide was estimated to have been 100m to 200m long.

There are 42 people involved in the rescue mission, which is complicated by the remote location, he added.

Heavy equipment such as excavators had yet to arrive, said Mr Abdul, adding that those helping in the operation are required to travel by boat, vehicles, and then on foot.

“The number of fatalities might change at any time. Of the 15 fatalities, 10 bodies have been retrieved,” Mr Abdul said by phone.

He added that 1,216 residents have been moved to temporary shelters in mosques and community health centres.

A video seen by Reuters shows rescuers in helmets working with flashlights in darkness to try to free victims, with houses destroyed and roads blanketed in mud.

Two helicopters would be sent from the capital Jakarta on Tuesday to help the rescue effort, as well as a plane carrying tents, food and blankets for evacuees, said Mr Abdul.

Natuna’s rescue agency head told Antara News Agency that the military would be deployed to help with the rescue, and that some equipment has been dispatched, including extraction tools and lighting equipment. REUTERS