Indonesian landslide in West Java kills 8, over 80 missing

A predawn landslide in West Java, Indonesia, killed at least eight people and left 82 missing after torrential rains. Rescuers struggled through mud and debris while authorities evacuated nearby families and warned residents in landslide-prone areas to stay alert.

Jakarta: A predawn landslide triggered by torrential rains on Indonesia’s main island of Java killed at least eight people on Saturday and left 82 missing as rescuers struggled through deep mud, searching for survivors.

Days of torrential rains had caused rivers to burst their banks, tearing through Pasir Langu village in the West Bandung district of West Java province. Mud, rocks and trees tumbled down the mountainside, burying some 34 houses.

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Rescuers were searching for the 82 residents feared buried under heaps of mud and debris, while 24 people managed to escape the disaster, said spokesperson Abdul Muhari of the National Disaster Management Agency.

Some eight bodies were pulled out in the worst-hit hamlet of Pasir Kuning after the 3 am landslide swept away homes and people.

Television stations broadcast footage of workers and residents digging desperately in Pasir Langu, where roads and green-terraced rice fields were transformed into murky brown mud as the village was covered with thick mud, rocks and uprooted trees.

“Unstable soil and heavy rain continue to complicate search and rescue operations,” said Teten Ali Mungku Engkun, who heads West Java’s Disaster Management Office.

He said local authorities rapidly assessed the damage and deployed emergency response teams immediately after the landslide. Families living within 100 meters (yards) of the landslide zone were evacuated due to fears of further slope failures.

Authorities urged residents in landslide-prone areas to remain vigilant and evacuate immediately if they hear rumbling sounds, see soil movement, or believe conditions are unsafe.