World News
Recuers searching for survivors after Indonesian landslide─── 08:34 Sun, 14 Dec 2014
Jemblung - Rescuers searching for more than 80 people missing after a landslide in Indonesia deployed bulldozers and excavators on Sunday to battle their way through roads strewn with debris to the site of the tragedy, officials said.
At least 20 people have been confirmed dead after torrential downpours triggered the landslide hitting Jemblung village in central Java late on Friday, national disaster management agency spokesperson Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said.
Hundreds of rescuers were digging through the mud with shovels and their bare hands in a desperate hunt for any survivors.
Around 1 250 rescuers, including police, soldiers and volunteers were involved in the search operations.
Fifteen people were injured, including 11 seriously, and 577 people were evacuated to temporary shelters.
Landslides triggered by heavy rains and floods are common in tropical Indonesia during the rainy season.
The national disaster agency estimates around half the country's population of 250 million lives in areas prone to landslides.
The vast Indonesian archipelago is one of the most natural-disaster-prone nations, and is also frequently hit by earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
