Flash floods, landslides bury 15 alive in Indonesia's West Java

Nov 14, 2008, 3:16 GMT

   Jakarta - Flash floods and landslides swept through residential areas in Indonesia's West Java province, burying alive at least 15 people and injuring 25 others, officials and media reports said Friday.

   The disaster took place on Thursday evening following hours of torrential rains that inundated or damaged hundreds of homes and caused landslides in the villages of Nyalindung and Cikondang in Cianjur district, about 100 kilometers south of Jakarta.

   In Nyalindung, landsides destroyed at least 30 homes and buried 15 people alive. Another landslide destroyed around 20 homes in nearby Cikondang village.

   A local security officer, identified only as Deden, told Elshinta private radio that 25 other people were hospitalized for injuries received in the disaster, which locals claim has been the worst in recent years.

Rescue workers, police and military officers, as well as local volunteers, tried to evacuate victims from their houses to temporary shelters.

   By Friday morning, one body had been recovered and a search was underway for the missing residents, using only hoes and crowbars to dig through tons of mud, Deden said.

   Landslides and floods are common during the rainy season in Indonesia, which is losing its forests at the world's fastest rate due to logging. The country is struggling to save its rainforests from deforestation by planting tens millions of trees and implementing strong anti-logging laws.