Rain-triggered landslide buries at least 27 in Indonesia’s Java

People look at a car damaged and partially buried under a collapsed house after a landslide triggered by heavy rain at Banaran village in Ponorogo, Indonesia East Java province, April 1, 2017 in this photo taken by Antara Foto. Pic: Reuters

2nd April 2017

AT least 27 people were reported missing and believed to be buried after a landslide, triggered by torrential rain, struck a village on Indonesia’s main island of Java.

According to the Associated Press, spokesman for Indonesia’s Disaster Mitigation Agency, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, said the landslide hit dozens of homes and farmers harvesting ginger on a hillside in Banaran village in East Java province’s Ponorogo district

27 people were reported buried, while a local army chief put the number of missing at 38, based on reports from villagers, the local mitigation agency said

Nugroho said rescuers, soldiers, police officers and volunteers were deployed to search for the missing.

SEE ALSO: Landslides, flash floods claim 47 lives in central Indonesia

The landslide overturned vehicles, shattered and buried buildings, and left a massive scar on a hillside where lush vegetation had been torn away.

Seasonal rains cause frequent floods in Indonesia. Many of the country’s 256 million people live in mountainous areas or fertile, flood-prone plains near rivers.

Rescue efforts were also hampered by people flocking to the area to see the landslide and causing traffic jams, he said.

The local disaster mitigation agency had warned of the risk of a landslide due to recent rain, and some people had only returned to the village on Saturday after staying the night in a shelter, said the official.

Additional reporting by Reuters