At least eight people have been confirmed dead and more than 80 others declared missing after a landslide struck villages in Indonesia’s West Bandung region on the island of Java early Saturday, disaster officials have said.
The landslide, triggered by heavy and prolonged rainfall, occurred in the early hours of the morning and buried residential areas, forcing the evacuation of dozens of residents, mostly women and children. Floods and landslides are common in Indonesia during the rainy season, which usually lasts from October to March.
A resident of Pasirlangu village, Oyoh, recounted hearing a loud rumbling sound around 2:30 a.m., describing it as similar to thunder. She said it had been raining continuously since the morning before the slope collapsed, leaving residents terrified.
The 52-year-old said she was evacuated to the village government office along with many others. While her house survived the landslide, she disclosed that her niece, her niece’s husband and their two children were among those still missing.
Abdul Muhari, spokesman for Indonesia’s National Disaster Mitigation Agency, confirmed that eight bodies had been recovered and 82 people remained unaccounted for as rescue operations continued. He said search efforts were being hampered by unstable ground and difficult terrain.
West Bandung Regent Jeje Ritchie Ismail said the military, police and volunteers were assisting in the rescue operation. The local search and rescue agency added that teams were carrying out manual excavation, spraying soil with water pumps and deploying drones to locate victims.
The disaster comes amid growing concern over the impact of deforestation on flooding and landslides in Indonesia. Late last year, tropical storms and intense monsoon rains triggered floods and landslides in Sumatra, killing about 1,200 people and displacing more than 240,000 others, according to official figures.
Environmental experts have linked the increasing severity of such disasters to forest loss, which reduces the land’s ability to absorb rainfall and stabilise soil. Indonesia lost more than 240,000 hectares of primary forest in 2024, according to analysis by conservation groups, as mining, plantations and fires continued to drive large-scale deforestation.
In response to recent disasters, the Indonesian government has filed lawsuits seeking more than $200 million in damages against several firms and revoked dozens of permits from forestry, mining and hydroelectric companies. Earlier this month, torrential rains also caused flash floods on Siau Island, killing at least 16 people.
AFP
