Indonesian Landslides Kill 21 As Rescuers Search For Survivors

Officials reported that (5) individuals remained missing for Thursday 23rd of January 2025 as rescuers fought against conditions and time to locate survivors of a landslide that killed (21) people on Indonesia’s main island of Java.

In a hilly region close to Pekalongan city in the province of Central Java, heavy rains on Monday 22nd of January caused a landslide that buried houses and automobiles and collapsed bridges.

In addition Budiono, the leader of the search and rescue organization from the adjacent city of Semarang, who, like most Indonesians, goes by a single title, informed AFP, “As of this morning, we have found (21) victims who died and there are (5) more who are still being looked.”

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To search through the wreckage of a local official’s home and a café where more fatalities are believed to have been lost as they took cover from the storm, heavy machinery has been sent to the most seriously impacted Kasimpar hamlet.

“Those (2) locations as well as the area around the river are our main priorities. According to Budiono, the rising water may have taken the victims to the river.

The search and rescue organization Basarnas reports that the landslide also injured more than (13) individuals. According to Budiono, the rescuers have begun clearing the roadways of the heavy mud and debris.

Whereas landslides are common in Indonesia during the rainy season, which usually lasts from (November to April), but in the past few years, some natural disasters have occurred outside of that time frame. Additionally, climate change has made storms more intense, resulting in (heavier rains, flash floods, and stronger gusts). In May, around (67) people lost their lives when heavy rains in West Sumatra resulted in flash floods, which pushed multiple layers of (ash, sand, and pebbles) from Mount Marapi’s eruption into the homes of residents.