• Source:JND
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A devastating landslide triggered by days of heavy rain has killed 11 people in Central Java, Indonesia, with 12 more still missing, authorities confirmed on Saturday. The disaster struck on Thursday in Cilacap city, where a hillside collapse buried around a dozen homes in Cibeunying village, leaving rescuers racing against time.

According to Indonesia’s disaster management agency, the landslide buried victims under 3 to 8 metres (10–25 feet) of earth, making search operations extremely challenging. 

Search teams from the national rescue agency, police, and volunteers have been working continuously amid unstable terrain and the risk of additional landslides.

“We have found three more bodies, leaving only 17 more to be found. We have been working to the best of our ability,” said Budi, a senior official from the disaster agency, earlier quoted in local reports.

By Saturday afternoon, officials confirmed the recovery of 11 bodies, with more than a dozen still believed to be trapped beneath layers of mud and rubble.

“As of Saturday afternoon, the number of victims who were found dead is 11, while 12 more are still being searched for,” said Muhammad Abdullah, the local search and rescue chief, speaking to AFP. High-resolution drone imagery and ground-penetrating tools are reportedly being used to narrow down search zones, but the depth of the debris continues to complicate operations.

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Monsoon Season Brings Heightened Risks

Indonesia’s rainy season began in September and is expected to last until April, bringing a heightened risk of floods and hydrometeorological disasters. The national weather agency had earlier warned of extreme rainfall expected across several regions in the coming weeks.

This week’s tragedy follows a pattern of destructive weather-linked disasters in the region. Earlier in November, flash floods and landslides in Papua killed at least 15 people. In January, a rain-triggered landslide in Pekalongan, also in Central Java, claimed at least 25 lives.

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