Landslide leaves many dead, missing in Indonesia

Illustrative image (Photo: AFP)

Hanoi (VNA) – Indonesian authorities said on March 15 that two people were killed and four others were left missing in a landslide a day earlier in Bogor town, about 60km to the south of Jakarta capital.

The landslide occurred at around 23:49 (Indonesia time) on March 14, destroying six houses, a mosque, and disrupting railway traffic from Bogor town to Sukabumi district, West Java province. Many of the 11 survivors also suffered serious injuries, Ahmad Maulana, a staff member of the local natural disaster agency, told the press.

Authorities said heavy rain was the main cause of the landslide.

At present, the search for missing victims is underway.

Last week, another landslide occurred on Serasan island, Natuna district, the western province of Riau, causing serious casualties with the death toll now standing at 50. Meanwhile, four others were still missing and over 2,200 were evacuated.

Indonesia regularly faces landslides during the rainy season. In some areas, the situation has become more severe due to deforestation and prolonged heavy rains. Experts believed that weather-related disasters in this Southeast Asian country are becoming worse due to climate change./.