Heavy rains in Pekalongan caused catastrophic landslides, a major road block and houses were buried.
Aid workers in Indonesia continue to search for survivors after a landslide killed at least 19 people in the country’s central Java province.
Heavy rain in Pekalongan Due to landslides Tuesday on a main road that connects the city to the tourist area, Dieng Plateau.
Local media footage showed the affected road and houses buried and rice fields covered with mud, debris and rocks.
Rescue workers were forced to walk about four kilometers (2.5 mi) to reach the site as the road was impassable. An excavator was deployed to clear the debris while heavy rain and fog hampered rescue efforts.
“The joint search and rescue team was able to locate and recover two bodies on Wednesday morning. National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) spokesman Abdul Mehri said the death toll as of this afternoon was 19.
“The two bodies found this morning were part of a list of people reported missing in the tragic incident.”
Search and rescue agency Basarnas said on Wednesday that 13 people were also injured.
Local official Mohammad Yulian Akbar said heavy machinery had been deployed to clear road access for search teams and about 200 rescue personnel had been dispatched to assist in the rescue operations.
“The focus is on finding the victims,” he said, adding that the local government had declared a state of emergency in the district for two weeks.
Photos shared by the disaster agency showed rescue workers being carried from the scene in body bags on bamboo stretchers under thick fog.
The agency warned residents that rain is expected in the next few days, which could lead to more landslides and flooding.
Indonesia is prone to landslides during the rainy season, usually between November and April, but in recent years some disasters have occurred outside of this season due to adverse weather conditions.
In December, 10 people were killed in floods in mountain villages on the country’s main island of Java.
