Indonesia landslide death toll rises to at least 64
Heavy rains triggered the landslide that buried dozens of homes and killed at least 64, with difficult terrain hampering ongoing rescue efforts.
The death toll from last week’s landslide in Indonesia rose to 64, as search and rescue operations continued on the eighth day for 16 missing people in West Java, state-run news agency Antara has reported.
Four more bodies were recovered from the site on Saturday, bringing the confirmed number of deaths to 64, while around 16 people are still unaccounted for, said Ade Dian Permana, head of the Bandung Search and Rescue Agency.
He added that the search operation continued on the eighth day, using tracker dogs and heavy equipment, with some 3,675 personnel deployed.
So far, 49 bodies have been identified and handed over to their families, and 75 people have been safely rescued.
Homes under mud and debris
Twenty-three soldiers were also killed while conducting border patrol training, the navy said on Tuesday.
The January 24 landslide that hit Pasir Langu village in Bandung Barat was triggered by heavy rains.
The landslide, which buried dozens of homes under mud and debris, followed cyclone-induced floods and landslides on the island of Sumatra late last year that killed 1,200 people and displaced more than one million residents.
The rescue agency, Basarnas, extended the emergency response period for seven days to February 6, with search and rescue efforts ongoing in the affected area, which is marked by difficult terrain.
Basarnas had its funding cut by a parliamentary panel on Wednesday, despite concerns over the number of disasters the agency has to deal with.