Nine missing after landslide and heavy flooding in Indonesia's Java Island

JAKARTA (AFP): At least nine Indonesians were reported missing overnight and more than 200 were evacuated after a landslide and flooding hit their village on Java island, an official said Monday.

Cibenda village in West Java Province became inundated just before midnight on Sunday evening after hours of torrential rain when many villagers were asleep.

"Nine people were reported missing in the flood and landslide that happened in West Bandung (district) on Sunday night," Abdul Muhari, spokesman of the country's disaster mitigation agency, said in a statement.

Two more people were injured and taken to a clinic, Muhari said.

Local official Rega Wiguna told AFP rescuers had arrived in the isolated village to search for the missing victims.

He said around 250 locals were evacuated to a village hall and schools turned into temporary shelters after dozens of houses were damaged.

Indonesia is prone to landslides during the rainy season and the problem has been aggravated in some places by deforestation, with prolonged torrential rain causing flooding in some areas of the archipelago nation.

Earlier this month, flash flooding and landslides on Sumatra island killed at least 30 people with scores still missing.

A landslide and flooding swept away dozens of houses and destroyed a hotel near Lake Toba on Sumatra in December, killing at least two people. - AFP