JAKARTA: Five bodies have been recovered, and seven others are missing after flash floods and landslides destroyed hundreds of houses and infrastructure in Indonesia's West Java province, an official said on Friday (Dec 6).
The natural disasters, which began on Tuesday, damaged 589 houses and forced 1,400 residents to evacuate in Sukabumi regency, said Hadi Rahmat, spokesperson for the provincial disaster management and mitigation agency.
The disaster also caused the collapse of 10 bridges, disrupting residents' movements, he added.
"Five victims' bodies have been found. The search for the missing is still underway. Previously, four people were reported missing, but now the number has risen to seven," he told Xinhua.
Of the seven missing persons, five were victims of the landslides, while the causes of disappearance for the remaining two are unknown, Rahmat explained.
He noted that search efforts for the five landslide victims are focused on affected areas, while the search for the other two extends beyond these zones.
According to him, two evacuation centers have been set up to accommodate evacuees and provide logistics, medicines, and other essential items. However, many survivors have opted to take shelter with relatives. - Xinhua
