Death toll from Indonesia landslides rises to 18

The landslide hit three villages in the district of Cilacap, Central Java, on November 13, burying and damaging houses. Photo / Bakhtiar Rahman, AFP

The death toll from three landslides that hit Indonesia’s Java island since last week has risen to 18, with more than 30 people missing, a disaster official has said.

Heavy rainfall triggered a landslide that hit several locations in the Cilacap district of Central Java province last week.

Two other landslides struck a village in the Banjarnegara district of Central Java over the weekend, national disaster mitigation agency spokesman Abdul Muhari said.

The death toll had been put at 11 but Abdul said rescuers in Cilacap found three more bodies.

“With the findings, the total number of victims who died because of the landslide was 16 people,” Abdul said in a statement about the Cilacap landslide.

Another seven people were missing there, he said, and at least 16 houses were damaged.

Searching for the missing victims remained among the top priorities, agency chief Suharyanto said in remarks broadcast by Kompas TV, and would continue in consultation with victims’ families.

Local authorities have designated an area for the construction of temporary housing for affected residents, Suharyanto said, adding that almost 300 families could be relocated there.

In Banjarnegara, Abdul said in a separate statement that two people had been killed and at least 27 were missing.

The national weather service has also warned that more heavy rain is expected across several regions in coming weeks.

The annual monsoon season, typically between November and April, often brings landslides, flash floods and water-borne diseases.

Climate change has affected storm patterns, including the duration and intensity of the season, resulting in heavier rainfall, flash flooding and stronger wind gusts.

Flash floods and landslides in a remote area of Papua in Indonesia’s east killed at least 15 people this month.

- Agence France-Presse