Central Java (Indonesia): At least 18 people have died after rain-triggered landslides struck two regions in Indonesia’s Central Java province last week, authorities said on Monday, as search and rescue operations continue under difficult conditions.
A massive landslide in Cilacap buried around a dozen houses in Cibeunying village. The National Disaster Mitigation Agency said rescuers are struggling because victims are buried between three and eight metres deep. According to M Abdullah, head of the local search and rescue division, the Cilacap disaster has claimed at least 16 lives, while seven people remain missing.
Footage aired by KompasTV on Monday showed excavators digging through thick layers of mud and debris as teams race against time.
In a separate incident, two people were killed and 27 others went missing after another landslide hit Banjarnegara district on Saturday. The disaster mitigation agency said around 30 houses and several farms were damaged in the region.
Indonesia’s wet season began in September and is expected to continue until April, with the weather agency warning of a heightened risk of severe rainfall and widespread flooding in the coming months.
