Six dead, 17 missing in landslide in Indonesia

A landslide in Central Java Province, Indonesia, has resulted in the death of six people and the disappearance of 17 others, following prolonged heavy rainfall that softened the soil and caused it to slide.

Budi Irawan, an official at Indonesia’s disaster management agency, stated that the landslide, which occurred in the Cibinong area, buried dozens of homes.

He reported that rescue teams had found three more bodies, bringing the total number of confirmed fatalities to six, while 17 others remain missing.

Budi explained that search operations are facing major challenges due to the depth of the debris, which ranges between three and eight meters, slowing down the rescue teams’ access to potential victims.

Indonesia’s Meteorological Agency indicated that the rainy season, which began last September and continues until next April, increases the risk of floods and landslides in several regions of the country.

The city of Pekalongan in Central Java witnessed a similar landslide caused by flash floods last January, resulting in the deaths of at least 25 people.