- Banjarnegara records ten deaths, eighteen are still missing.
- The Cilacap landslides kill twenty people, three people remain missing.
- More than 900 people evacuated in Banjarnegara, nearly 400 in Cilacap.
JAKARTA: The death toll from landslides in two areas of Indonesia’s Central Java rose to 30 as relief efforts continued, the national disaster mitigation agency said on Friday.
Some 21 people are still missing after landslides caused by torrential rains hit the town of Cilacap last week and the Banjarnegara area over the weekend, the agency said.
Rescue workers on Thursday found seven more bodies in Banjarnegara, the worst-hit area, bringing the death toll to 10 and 18 still missing, agency spokesman Abdul Muhari said in a statement Thursday evening.
Dozens of homes were damaged, seven people were injured and more than 900 residents were evacuated following the landslide, Muhari said.
At least 700 rescuers, including police and soldiers, continue to search for the missing, using excavators to speed up the search, he added.
“We face several obstacles in the research, especially with landslide basins filled with debris and continuously flowing water, which also risks causing further landslides due to rains,” Muhari said.
In Cilacap, rescuers found four more bodies this week, bringing the death toll to 20 with three people still missing, Muhari said.
The authorities extended their search operations there until next week and nearly 400 residents were evacuated.
Indonesia’s rainy season began in September and will continue until April, according to the weather agency, increasing the risk of flooding and extreme rainfall in many areas.
Climate change has impacted storm patterns, including season length and intensity, leading to heavier precipitation, flash flooding and stronger wind gusts.
Flash floods and landslides in a remote region of Papua, eastern Indonesia, have killed at least 23 people, Muhari said.
— With additional contribution from AFP
