Death Toll From Indonesia Landslide Rises To 53

The death toll from a landslide on Indonesia’s main island of Java a week ago rose to 53 on Saturday, a rescue official said, with 10 people still missing.

An intense downpour triggered the landslide that hit Pasirlangu village, in an area southeast of the capital Jakarta, damaging more than 50 houses and displacing about 650 people.

Thousands of rescuers, helped by the military, police and volunteers, have been digging through the mud searching for victims.

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They had recovered and identified 53 bodies by Saturday, said Ade Dian Permana, the head of the local search and rescue agency, up from a previous toll of 44.

At least 10 people are still missing, he said, but clearer weather was helping the search.

The Indonesian navy has said that 23 personnel, who were training in the area, were among those caught in the landslide.

The search and rescue operation in the West Bandung region has been extended until Friday.

The government has pointed to the role forest loss played in flooding and landslides on Sumatra island late last year, which killed around 1,200 people and displaced more than 240,000.

Forests help absorb rainfall and stabilise the ground held by their roots, and their absence makes areas more prone to landslides.

Such disasters are common across the vast Indonesian archipelago during the rainy season, which typically runs from October to March.

Torrential rain also battered Indonesia’s Siau island this month, causing a flash flood that killed at least 16 people.