Search Continues After Landslide in Central Java Leaves 11 Dead

Search Continues After Landslide in Central Java Leaves 11 Dead
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A landslide on Indonesia’s Java island has killed at least 11 people, with rescuers still searching for 12 others who remain missing, authorities said on Saturday, as reported by Arab News. The disaster struck three villages in Central Java province on Thursday following intense rainfall that buried several homes and damaged others.

Local search and rescue chief Muhammad Abdullah said the death toll was confirmed on Saturday afternoon, while efforts to locate the missing continued. More than 700 personnel from rescue teams, the military, police and community volunteers have been deployed to the area. According to Abdullah, two bodies were recovered on Thursday, one on Friday and eight more on Saturday.

The government has sent excavators and tracking dogs to support the search operation, which has been hampered by unstable ground and ongoing rain. Indonesia’s national weather agency had warned earlier in the week of extreme conditions likely to trigger hydrometeorological disasters, with heavy rainfall forecast across multiple regions.

Indonesia’s annual monsoon season, which lasts from November to April, frequently brings landslides and flash floods. Officials say climate change is altering storm patterns, contributing to more intense rain, stronger winds and a higher risk of severe weather events. Earlier this month, floods and landslides in Papua killed at least 15 people.