The death toll from a landslide in Indonesia has risen to 34, with dozens of people still unaccounted for, as rescue teams continue searching through unstable terrain days after the disaster struck a mountain village in West Java.
The landslide hit Pasirlangu village in the West Bandung region on Saturday after days of heavy rainfall, sending a torrent of mud, rocks and debris through residential areas. The landslide destroyed or severely damaged dozens of homes, forcing hundreds of residents to flee.
Indonesia’s National Disaster Mitigation Agency said that by Tuesday evening, 34 bodies had been identified. Agency spokesperson Abdul Muhari said the remains would be returned to families for burial.
Authorities have revised the number of missing people down to 32, though local officials warned the actual figure could be higher, as some residents may not yet have been reported missing.
Search and rescue teams have been combing the area using a combination of manual searches and heavy machinery. However, persistent rain and the risk of further landslides have slowed operations, prompting rescuers to proceed cautiously to prevent additional casualties.
Local authorities said more than 50 houses were severely damaged, while over 650 people were displaced and moved to temporary shelters.
West Java governor Dedi Mulyadi said the disaster was linked to extensive agricultural activity on surrounding hillsides, where large areas of land are used for vegetable cultivation. He said the provincial government plans to relocate residents from high-risk zones to safer areas.
Indonesian officials have increasingly highlighted environmental degradation as a factor worsening the impact of natural disasters. The central government has previously pointed to deforestation as a key contributor to flooding and landslides that struck Sumatra late last year, killing around 1,200 people and displacing more than 240,000.
Forests play a critical role in absorbing rainfall and stabilising soil through root systems, experts say, and their loss makes slopes more vulnerable to collapse during periods of intense rain.
Landslides, floods and other weather-related disasters are common across Indonesia’s vast archipelago during the annual rainy season, which typically lasts from October through March. As climate patterns shift and land use intensifies, authorities warn that such incidents may become more frequent and severe.
