Search goes on: Members of the National Search and Rescue Agency searching for survivors at the scene of a landslide in Cipongkor, West Java province. — AFP
RESCUERS in the country recovered four bodies including those of two children after a landslide and flooding hit a village on Java island, while six others remain missing, an official said.
Cibenda village in West Java province became inundated just before midnight on Sunday after hours of torrential rain when many villagers were asleep.
Ten people were initially reported missing and dozens of homes were damaged, forcing hundreds to evacuate.
“Until this morning, four bodies have been retrieved and six more are still being searched,” said Meidi, head of the local disaster mitigation agency.
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.
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
