The death toll from a landslide in Indonesia has risen to 74, authorities said Friday, extending the hunt for missing people and dead almost two weeks after it began.
A landslide ripped through a mountain community in Java’s West Bandung province on January 24, burying scores of homes and uprooting hundreds of people.
Thousands of rescuers, assisted by police, military, and volunteers, have dug through muck and debris by hand and with heavy equipment.
The local search and rescue organization reported that 74 victims had been identified.
“There are still a number of residents on the missing persons list who have not yet been found,” said the agency’s head, Ade Dian Permana, without giving a figure.
“Weather conditions remain the main challenge, with thick fog and rain still covering the search area, significantly impacting visibility and stability in the area,” said Ade.
He stated the search would continue but with adjustments, as it had now entered the recovery phase.
According to the Indonesian navy, 23 personnel who were exercising in the area were caught up in the landslide that rocked Pasirlangu hamlet.
According to local authorities, over 50 residences were damaged, and more than 160 people are still affected.
The government has cited the role that forest loss played in flooding and landslides on the neighboring island of Sumatra late last year, which killed over 1,200 people and displaced more than 240,000.
Forests help absorb rainfall and stabilize the ground held by their roots, while their absence leaves places more vulnerable to landslides.
Such calamities are widespread throughout the large Indonesian archipelago during the rainy season, which lasts from October to March.
