JAKARTA, Indonesia — Rescue teams in Indonesia have found the remains of at least 17 individuals who were either swept away by sudden floods or covered by mudslides in the hilly regions of Java, according to officials on Tuesday. Currently, there are still eight people unaccounted for.
The heavy rainfall on Monday led to overflowing rivers that surged through nine villages located in the Pekalongan regency of Central Java province. This caused mud, rocks, and debris to cascade down from the mountains onto the small communities, as explained by the head of the local Disaster Management Agency, Bergas Catursasi.
As of Tuesday, rescue workers had retrieved at least 17 bodies from the most severely affected area, Petungkriyono, and they continue to search for the eight villagers who remain missing. Catursasi noted that 11 injured individuals were successfully rescued and taken to nearby medical facilities.
Footage from news reports displayed the efforts of police, military personnel, and relief workers as they employed excavators and manual labor to sift through the wreckage in the impacted areas. Many were seen using bamboo stretchers or body bags to transport the deceased to ambulances or trucks.
“Rescue operations faced significant challenges due to adverse weather, mudslides, and difficult terrain,” Catursasi commented. He indicated that some villagers who were fishing or seeking shelter from the rain were caught in the floodwaters.
As a result of the continued heavy rain and poor visibility due to thick fog, search activities were halted on Tuesday afternoon. According to Budiono, leader of the provincial Search and Rescue Office, these operations are expected to resume early on Wednesday.
Abdul Muhari, a spokesperson for the National Disaster Management Agency, mentioned that the flash floods inundated not only villagers but also vehicles traveling through the affected areas. These raging waters also caused landslides burying two homes and destroying two bridges that were critical for connecting various villages in the Pekalongan district.
In a related incident on Monday, a landslide in Denpasar on the popular tourist island of Bali resulted in the deaths of four individuals, with one person still missing and three others injured. Reports of flooding have also emerged from several other provinces.
Indonesia, an archipelagic nation with over 17,000 islands, typically experiences severe seasonal rains from October to March, leading to frequent occurrences of flooding and landslides. Many residents live in mountainous areas or close to fertile floodplains, making them especially vulnerable to these natural disasters.
In previous months, additional natural calamities struck various regions—last month in West Java’s Sukabumi district, a combination of landslides, flash floods, and strong winds claimed the lives of 12 people. In November, a similar disaster in North Sumatra province resulted in 20 fatalities and two individuals missing, alongside another tragic landslide that impacted a tourist bus, leaving nine people dead.
