Two people have been killed and at least 21 others are missing after a landslide struck three villages in Cilacap, Central Java, late Thursday night.
Indonesia’s national disaster agency spokesman Abdul Muhari said on Friday that rescue teams managed to pull 23 survivors from the debris, while two fatalities were confirmed. Search efforts continue for the remaining missing villagers.
“Unstable terrain is complicating rescue operations, but heavy machinery has been deployed to speed up the search,” Muhari said.
The landslide followed an extreme weather warning issued earlier this week by the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency, which warned of potential hydrometeorological disasters amid expected heavy rainfall in several regions.
Indonesia’s monsoon season, which typically runs from November to April, frequently triggers landslides, flash floods and water-borne diseases. Climate change has increasingly intensified storms, bringing heavier rainfall and stronger winds.
Earlier this month, flash floods and landslides in Papua claimed at least 15 lives and left eight missing.
— AFP
