JAKARTA
\nRescue teams are searching for survivors after a landslide in the West Bandung region of Indonesia\u2019s West Java province left at least seven people dead and dozens missing, local officials have said.
\n\u201cThe number of \u200bmissing persons \u200cis high, we will try to optimise our search and rescue efforts today,\u201d \u200cAbdul Muhari, the spokesperson for Indonesia\u2019s disaster mitigation agency, said on Saturday.
\nIndonesian news outlet Kompas said a landslide hit Pasirlangu village in West Bandung at about 2am local time on Saturday morning (19:00 GMT on Friday).
\n\u201cA strong flow\u201d of water and loose soil from the slopes of Mount Burangrang smashed into some 30 homes in the village while most of their inhabitants were sleeping, Kompas said.
\nLocal Police Chief AY Yogaswara said the landslide was accompanied by flash flooding, according to Jakarta-based Antara news agency.
\n\u201cWhen the incident occurred, residents heard a loud rumbling sound,\u201d Yogaswara said.
\nIndonesia\u2019s armed forces, the regional disaster management agency, volunteers, and the local community are all involved in emergency response efforts, he said.
\nFearing further tragedy, local authorities have ordered the evacuation of residents in areas which are known to be prone to landslides. The area affected by the landslide on Saturday is estimated to cover some 30 hectares (74 acres), Kompas reports.
\nTranslation: A major landslide has occurred\u2026 Police are still coordinating with local community officials. According to the RW chairman, about 30 houses were buried by the landslide that occurred on Saturday morning (24\/1).
\nIndonesia\u2019s weather agency had warned of extreme weather, including heavy rains in West Java province for a week from Friday, according to reports.
\nAntara also reported that flooding hit 20 of the 30 sub-districts of West Java\u2019s Karawang regency, due to the Citarum and Cibeet rivers overflowing. Regional government officials had advised residents living near the rivers to evacuate immediately, according to Antara.
\nHundreds of people have also fled flooding in East Jakarta amid heavy rains across much of the archipelago nation, according to Antara.
\nSaturday\u2019s disaster follows deadly landslides and flooding last month that left more than 1,170 people dead across Indonesia\u2019s North Sumatra, West Sumatra, and Aceh provinces.
\nThe Indonesian government has filed lawsuits against six companies over environmental degradation suspected of contributing to the deadly disaster.
\nIndonesia is facing increased risks of natural disasters due to environmental changes, including deforestation \u2013 often linked to global palm oil demand \u2013 climate change and rising sea levels.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
JAKARTA Rescue teams are searching for survivors after a landslide in the West Bandung region of Indonesia\u2019s West Java province left at least seven people dead and dozens missing, local officials have said. \u201cThe number of \u200bmissing persons \u200cis high, we will try to optimise our search and rescue efforts today,\u201d \u200cAbdul Muhari, the spokesperson […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":527545,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-527522","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n