At least 105 homes were washed away in the village of Jemblung. The lack of heavy equipment is forcing rescue crews to use their hands to dig for survivors.

Jakarta (AsiaNews/Agencies) - Heavy rain caused a landslide near Jemblung, a village in central Java, killing 18 people. At least 90 people are missing and 105 houses were destroyed.

This was the second landslide in several days on densely populated Java. Mud and rocks hit the island's Wonosobo District on Thursday, killing at least one villager.

Emergency crews, police, soldiers and local residents continue to dig through the mud and rubble with all sorts of tools: shovels, hoes, and bamboo sticks. However, rescuers are hampered by the lack of heavy equipment, with many forced to dig with their bare hands.

The affected village is located in Banjarnegara District, 460 km east of the capital Jakarta. At least 18 people suffered serious injuries and were taken to hospital.

Rains in recent weeks caused dozens of landslides and flooding in different parts of the country.

 

• indonesia
• central
• jemblung
• java
• wonosobo
• missing
• landslides
• flooding
• dead