41 missing after fatal landslides in western Indonesia

JAKARTA - A total of 41 villagers were missing after fatal landslides struck Suka Bumi district in Indonesia's West Java province on Monday, a disaster agency official said here on Tuesday.

Personnel from the search and rescue office and disaster agency along with villagers tried to find and rescue the victims of the natural disaster that completely buried 34 houses in Sinaresmi village, spokesman of the national disaster management agency Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said.

"The Rescue team continues search for the victims of the landslides," he told Xinhua in a text message.

The rescue operation is in bad need of heavy machinery to remove the soils burying the houses, Sutopo said.

A total of 61 villagers survived the landslides and are now taking shelter at an evacuation center, the spokesman said.

On the casualty of the disaster, reports said previously that eight people were killed in the landslides. However, Sutopo revised down the figure, saying two were killed.

Heavy downpours were blamed for the natural disaster, Sutopo added.

Indonesia is frequently stricken by landslides and floods during heavy rain season.