Rescuers in Indonesia search for survivors after a landslide killed 19 people in Java | news

Heavy rains in Pekalongan caused a devastating landslide, blocking the main road and burying homes.

Rescuers in Indonesia continue to search for survivors after a landslide in the country’s Central Java province killed at least 19 people.

Heavy rain in Pekalongan Caused a landslide On Tuesday, on a main road linking the city to a tourist area, the Dieng Plateau.

Footage broadcast by local media showed the damaged road, buried houses and rice fields covered in mud, rubble and rocks.

Rescuers had to walk four kilometers (2.5 miles) to reach the site due to the inaccessibility of the road. An excavator was deployed to clear the mudslide while heavy rain and fog hampered rescue efforts.

“The joint search and rescue team was able to find and evacuate two bodies… on Wednesday morning. Abdul Mahari, spokesman for the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), said the death toll recorded as of this afternoon was 19 people.

He added, “The two bodies that were found this morning were among the list of people missing in this tragic event.”

The Basarnas search and rescue agency said on Wednesday that 13 people were also injured.

Local official Muhammad Yulian Akbar said that heavy machinery had been deployed to open the way for search teams, and about 200 rescue personnel had been sent to assist in the rescue efforts.

“The focus is on searching for the victims,” ​​he added, adding that the local government had declared a state of emergency in the area for two weeks.

Pictures released by the disaster agency showed rescuers carrying victims in body bags with bamboo stretchers under heavy fog from the site.

The authority warned residents that rain is expected during the next few days, which may cause more landslides and floods.

Indonesia is prone to landslides during the rainy season, which usually occurs between November and April, but some disasters caused by bad weather have occurred outside this season in recent years.

In December, 10 people were killed Flash floods That struck mountain villages on the country’s main island of Java.