The death toll from a landslide in Indonesia rose to 17 on Monday, a disaster official said, as rescue efforts entered their third day.
The landslide, triggered by heavy rainfall, struck a village in West Bandung, Java, early on Saturday morning, burying homes under debris and forcing dozens of residents to evacuate.
“The death toll from the landslide in West Bandung has reached 17 people,” National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman Abdul Muhari said in a statement on Monday.
Abdul did not provide an update on the number of people still missing, which was around 80 on Sunday.
Rescuers said they were proceeding cautiously due to the risk of further landslides caused by unstable ground and poor weather conditions.
“What we worry about most is the risk of subsequent landslides. Sometimes during operations, we cannot focus on slopes that still have the potential to collapse,” said 25-year-old rescuer Rifaldi Ashabi.
Thousands of personnel were involved in Monday’s operation, according to National Search and Rescue Agency operations director Yudhi Bramantyo.
Teams are using manual excavation to locate victims and have also deployed heavy machinery.
The disaster follows the devastating floods and landslides that struck parts of Sumatra late last year, killing around 1,200 people.
Such events are common across the archipelago during the rainy season, which typically runs from October to March.
This month, torrential rains hit Siau Island in Indonesia, causing a flash flood that killed at least 16 people.
