Rescuers continue hunt for dozens still missing days after heavy rains unleashe torrent of mud
\n West Java
\nThe death toll in a massive Indonesian landslide hit 17 on Monday as rescuers used heavy equipment to hunt for dozens still missing days after heavy rains unleashed a torrent of mud.
\nPeople gathered near the site in Java\u2019s West Bandung region, desperately awaiting news of their loved ones as rescuers, who fear another landslide, scoured the unstable area.
\nThe flow of soil and debris barrelled through the village of Pasirlangu early on Saturday, burying residential areas and forcing dozens to evacuate their homes.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s impossible that they are still alive. I just want their bodies to be found,\u201d said Aep Saepudin, who has been coming to the village daily for updates about his 11 family members who are missing, including his sister.
\n\u201cMy heart aches. I feel so sad seeing my older sister like that (buried by the landslide)\u201d, he told AFP.
\nAbdul Muhari, a spokesman for the national disaster agency, confirmed on Monday that at least 17 people were killed and local officials said 73 were still missing.
\nMore than 50 houses were severely damaged by the disaster, which also displaced more than 650 people, the local disaster agency added.
\nDozens of rescuers were searching the area at the foot of Mount Burangrang on Monday under dark rain clouds, an AFP reporter saw.
\nThey excavated manually and used heavy equipment, but said they had to tread carefully for fear of another landslide due to the unstable ground and bad weather.
\n\u201cWhat we worry about most is the risk of subsequent (landslides). Sometimes when we\u2019re in the operation, we aren\u2019t focusing on the slopes that still have the potential for landslides,\u201d rescuer Rifaldi Ashabi, 25, said.
\n\u2018Should be forested\u2019
\nThe disaster comes after the government pointed to the role forest loss played in flooding and landslides on Sumatra island late last year, which killed around 1,200 people and displaced more than 240,000.
\nThe government has filed multiple lawsuits following the Sumatra floods, seeking more than $200 million in damages against six firms.
\nIt also stripped more than two dozen permits last week from forestry, mining and hydroelectric companies in Sumatra.
\nWest Java\u2019s governor Dedi Mulyadi blamed Saturday\u2019s disaster on the sprawling plantations around Pasirlangu, mostly used to grow vegetables, and pledged to relocate affected residents.
\n\u201cThis area should be forested. Local residents should be relocated because the potential for landslide is high,\u201d Dedi said in a statement Saturday.
\nForests help absorb rainfall and stabilise the ground held by their roots, while their absence makes areas more prone to flash flooding and landslides, David Gaveau, founder of conservation start-up The TreeMap, told AFP in December.
\nFloods and landslides are common across the vast archipelago during the rainy season, which typically runs from October to March.
\nThis month, torrential rains battered Indonesia\u2019s Siau island, causing a flash flood that killed at least 16 people.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Rescuers continue hunt for dozens still missing days after heavy rains unleashe torrent of mud West Java The death toll in a massive Indonesian landslide hit 17 on Monday as rescuers used heavy equipment to hunt for dozens still missing days after heavy rains unleashed a torrent of mud. People gathered near the site in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":527897,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-527870","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n