Eight dead and over 80 missing after landslide hits Indonesia village

At least eight people died and 82 went missing after a landslide struck Indonesia’s West Java province on Saturday, officials said.

The national disaster mitigation agency said the landslide triggered by heavy rains struck a village in the West Bandung region, southeast of the capital Jakarta.

Rescue workers were searching for 82 villagers feared buried under mud and debris, Abdul Muhari, a spokesman for the National Search and Rescue Agency, said, adding that at least 24 people managed to escape the disaster.

“The number of missing persons is high so we’ll try and optimise our search and rescue efforts today,” Mr Muhari said.

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The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysical Agency had issued a warning of extreme weather for one week from Friday, forecasting heavy rain in West Java, Kompas, a local news outlet reported.

The alert also warns of floods and landslides across the region, advising residents to remain vigilant and evacuate immediately if they spot soil movement, hear rumbling sounds or believe conditions are unsafe.

The West Bandung landslide damaged over 30 homes, the disaster mitigation agency said, adding that “debris buried residential areas, causing fatalities and affecting local residents”.

Authorities said the landslide hit Pasir Langu village at around 2.30am on Saturday, burying many homes in mud and debris.

TV visuals showed rescue workers and villagers desperately searching for survivors through murky brown sludge, rocks and uprooted trees.

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"Unstable soil and heavy rain continue to complicate search and rescue operations," Teten Ali Mungku Engkun, head of West Java's disaster management office, said.

Authorities rapidly assessed the damage, he added, and deployed emergency response crews who evacuated families living within 100 meters of the landslide zone amid fears of further slope failures.

Indonesia frequently faces deadly landslides triggered by heavy rainfall. The risk of flooding and extreme rainfall is particularly elevated during the archipelago nation’s wet season, which runs from September to April, according to the weather agency.

At least 30 people died and more than 900 were displaced when landslides triggered by torrential rains struck in two regions of the Central Java province in November.

In January last year, more than 20 people had been killed in the same province after heavy rains caused flash floods and landslides.