Indonesia landslide death toll rises to 34, dozens missing

The death toll from a landslide in Indonesia has risen to 34 with dozens still missing, authorities said on Wednesday, days after the torrent of debris crashed through a mountain village.

Heavy rain triggered the landslide that barrelled through Pasirlangu on Saturday, severely damaging dozens of homes and displacing hundreds.

As of 7:30 pm (1230 GMT) on Tuesday, 34 victims had been identified, national disaster mitigation agency spokesman Abdul Muhari said.

"The identified bodies will be handed over to the victims' families for burial," he added.

The number of people missing was revised down to 32, but local authorities fear the true figure could be significantly higher.

Rescuers have been scouring the unstable area in Java island's West Bandung region manually and using heavy equipment.

Indonesian rescue members search for victims at the site of a landslide following heavy rains in Pasir Langu village, West Bandung regency, West Java province, Indonesia, on Tuesday. Reuters

But they are treading carefully for fear of another landslide due to bad weather.

The disaster severely damaged more than 50 houses and displaced over 650 people, according to local authorities.

West Java's governor Dedi Mulyadi blamed the landslide on the sprawling plantations around Pasirlangu, mostly used to grow vegetables, and pledged to relocate affected residents.

The government has pointed to the role forest loss played in flooding and landslides on Sumatra island late last year, which killed around 1,200 people and displaced more than 240,000.

Forests help absorb rainfall and stabilise the ground held by their roots, and their absence makes areas more prone to landslides.

Such disasters are common across the vast Indonesian archipelago during the rainy season, which typically runs from October to March.

Agence France-Presse