The death toll from multiple landslides across Indonesia’s Java island has reached 30, with rescuers continuing their search for dozens of missing residents, officials reported Thursday.
Heavy rainfall triggered a major landslide in Banjarnegara district, Central Java, on Saturday, flattening at least 48 homes, according to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), reports Dawn.
BNPB spokesperson Abdul Muhari said more than 700 personnel from the military, police, search-and-rescue units, and volunteer teams have been mobilised, accompanied by tracking dogs to assist in the operations. Seven more bodies were recovered from Banjarnegara, bringing the local death toll to 10, while 18 residents remain missing.
Nearly 1,000 people have been evacuated from affected areas. Authorities have warned that ongoing rainfall, water accumulation, and active springs could trigger further landslides, complicating rescue missions. AFP photographers on site described heavy machinery navigating thick mud as teams combed debris in the hardest-hit villages.
In a separate incident, landslides struck three villages in neighbouring Cilacap district last Thursday. At least 20 people have died, and three others are still missing, according to BNPB. No additional updates have been released.
The monsoon season, which typically spans June to September, regularly brings landslides, flash floods, and waterborne illnesses across Indonesia. The National Weather Service has forecast more heavy rains in the coming weeks.
Officials also point to the impact of climate change, which is altering storm patterns and intensifying rainfall, flash floods, and strong winds. In eastern Indonesia, flash floods and landslides in remote areas of Papua have killed at least 23 people, Muhari added.
