Heavy rain triggered a landslide in Pasirlangu village, Indonesia, on Saturday, destroying dozens of homes and displacing hundreds. The search for survivors is ongoing, with the operation extended until Feb. 6.
Indonesia Landslide Death Toll Rises
As of Monday, 44 bodies have been recovered and identified following the landslide southeast of Jakarta, according to Mohammad Syafii, head of the national search and rescue agency. At least 20 people remain missing.
Thousands of rescuers, including military, police, and volunteers, are digging through mud using both manual labor and heavy equipment. Bad weather, including light to moderate rain and fog, is hindering search efforts, limiting visibility.
The disaster has damaged more than 50 houses and displaced over 650 people, local authorities report. Twenty-three troops training in the area ahead of a deployment to Indonesia’s border with Papua New Guinea were among those caught in the landslide.
Provincial governor Dedi Mulyadi attributed the landslide to sprawling plantations used for vegetable farming, stating that forested areas and mountains have been converted into farmland. The government has previously cited forest loss as a contributing factor to flooding and landslides on Sumatra island, which killed around 1,200 people and displaced over 240,000 last year.
Forests play a crucial role in absorbing rainfall and stabilizing the ground, and their removal increases the risk of landslides. Such disasters are common across the Indonesian archipelago during the rainy season, which typically lasts from October to March.
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