12 dead, nearly 100 missing in Indonesian landslide: official
December 13, 2014 13:09
A landslide triggered by torrential downpours has killed at least 12 people and left nearly 100 others missing on Indonesia's main island of Java, an official said today.
Hundreds of rescuers were digging through mud and rubble after the landslide buried scores of houses in Jemblung village in central Java late Friday, the national disaster agency said.
The landslide swept down a hillside in the village, sparing only two houses.
TV footage showed bystanders watching the emergency effort while rescuers passed an orange body bag by hand through the muddy area.
"We found 12 bodies at the moment, and we are searching for 96 others," an officer at the emergency centre at the scene of the disaster told AFP, asking not to be identified.
Disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said it was unclear whether those missing were buried under the landslide or had taken refuge.
"Conditions on the ground are pretty tough and we need heavy machines to clear the road that has been covered by the landslide," Nugroho added.
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