Hanoi (VNA) – The death toll from a landslide on Indonesia's main island of Java rose to 25 as rescuers found three more bodies on January 24.
Intense rainfall in a mountainous area near Pekalongan city in Central Java province on January 20 triggered the landslide, collapsing bridges and burying cars and houses.
Bad weather was hampering search efforts, with the operation suspended on January 24 afternoon to ensure the safety of rescue teams as rain and fog descended on the area.
Budiono, head of the search and rescue agency from nearby Semarang, said that the rescue operation is set to resume on January 25, focusing on search around a cafe where the victims are thought to have been buried as they sought shelter from the rain.
At least 13 people were also injured in the landslide, according to the national search and rescue agency Basarnas.
Indonesia is prone to landslides during the rainy season, typically between November and April. However, some disasters caused by adverse weather have taken place outside that season in recent years. Climate change has also increased the intensity of storms, leading to heavier rains, flash floods and stronger gusts.
In May last year, at least 67 people were killed after heavy rains caused flash floods in West Sumatra, pushing a mixture of ash, sand, and pebbles from the eruption of Mount Marapi into residential areas./.
