Rain-triggered landslide kills 16 in Indonesia

A landslide triggered by heavy rain on Indonesia's main island of Java has killed at least 16 people with three others missing, disaster officials said Tuesday.

Intense rainfall in a mountainous area near Pekalongan city, Central Java province, sparked the landslide on Monday, collapsing at least one bridge and burying houses and cars in thick mud.

"Sixteen people were found dead after being buried by a landslide in ... Pekalongan district, Central Java," National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) spokesman Abdul Muhari said in a statement.

"The landslide buried two houses and dragged several vehicles passing through the area."

Muhari said three people were missing while Pekalongan police chief Doni Prakoso Widamanto gave a higher toll of five missing to local broadcaster Metro TV.

"For injured victims, 10 have been referred to hospitals and the nearest community health centre," Doni said.

He said the landslide hit the area -- around 90 kilometers (60 miles) west of the city of Semarang -- on Monday afternoon and rescue workers were trying to find at least five still missing.

"The rainfall in Pekalongan was quite high, and the worst affected area... is in a hilly or mountainous area," Doni said.

Television footage showed volunteers retrieving a body from the landslide on a makeshift stretcher and roads caked in thick mud.

Muhari said the weather forecast for the next three days showed potential moderate rains that could "cause floods, flash floods and landslides".

- Digging for survivors -

Bergas Catursasi Penanggungan, a Central Java disaster agency official, gave a higher death toll of 17 and said rescuers faced delays due to the difficulty of accessing the area.

"One more person was found dead, 17 (dead)," he told AFP.

"There is also a broken bridge. (Rescuers) must go around. There are still small landslides that must be cleared."

Indonesian officials from different agencies can often give conflicting numbers in the wake of natural disasters.

Search efforts were briefly suspended on Tuesday morning as heavy rain hit the area.

"The situation in the location depends on the weather. It's a landslide-prone area," said Bergas.

The disaster official said local volunteers had joined search efforts alongside rescue workers, police and soldiers, while heavy machinery would be called in to help dig for survivors.

"Going forward, for those who are buried under thicker soil, we hope for assistance from heavy equipment," he earlier told broadcaster Kompas TV.

Indonesia is prone to landslides during the rainy season, typically between November and April.

Some disasters caused by adverse weather have taken place outside that season in recent years.

In November flooding triggered by intense rains in western Indonesia killed 27 people.

In May, at least 67 people died after heavy rains caused flash floods in West Sumatra, pushing a mixture of ash, sand, and pebbles from the eruption of Mount Marapi washed into residential areas.

© Agence France-Presse