Rescuers search for survivors as landslide kills 19 in Indonesia

PEKALONGAN: After a rain-triggered landslide in Indonesia killed at least 19 people and left seven missing, hundreds of rescuers were searching through thick mud and debris to find survivors Wednesday.

Collapsing bridges and burying cars and houses, intense rainfall in a mountainous area near Pekalongan city in Central Java province sparked the landslide on Monday.

"The joint search and rescue team managed to find and evacuate two bodies... on Wednesday morning. The number of fatalities recorded as of this afternoon is 19 people," said Abdul Muhari, a spokesman for the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB).

"The two bodies found this morning were part of the list of people reported missing in the tragic event," he added, lowering the number of missing by two to seven.

Search and rescue agency Basarnas said in a statement Wednesday that 13 people were also injured.

Heavy machinery was deployed to clear road access for search teams and around 200 rescue personnel have been sent to help the rescue effort, local official Mohammad Yulian Akbar said.

"The focus is to search for the victims," he said, adding that the local government had declared an emergency in the district for two weeks.

The worst hit area was Kasimpar village according to the local official, where the landslide struck a coffee shop and people who were trying to shelter from the rain.

Police, soldiers and volunteers have joined the search alongside rescue workers, which is taking place around 90 kilometres (60 miles) west of the city of Semarang.

But efforts were intermittently suspended Tuesday as heavy rain continued to pound the area.

The weather forecast for the next three days suggests moderate rain that could "cause floods, flash floods and landslides", warned Muhari on Tuesday.

Indonesia is prone to landslides during the rainy season, typically between November and April.

In November, flooding triggered by intense rains in western Indonesia killed 27 people.

But 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, at least 67 people died 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.