Dozens feared buried by mudslide on Indonesia's Java (Roundup)

Feb 23, 2010, 11:46 GMT

Jakarta - Dozens of people were feared killed by a mudslide triggered by heavy rain in a residential hillside area in Indonesia's West Java province, officials and media reports said Tuesday.

At least four people were confirmed dead and 36 missing after a hill collapsed Tuesday morning in the tea plantation region of Pasirjambu village in Ciwidey regency, said Asep Junaedi, a local police officer.

Asep told Kompas.com online news that as many as 2,000 people lived in the estate area, including families of tea pickers. He said communication with the area was difficult because the mobile phone transmitter tower was damaged by the mudslide.

'We have alerted a nearby police office to help the evacuation of the victims,' Asep said, adding that the mudslides buried a factory, a sports centre and other public facilities.

'Communication was difficult to and from the location,' he said. 'It is estimated that many lives were lost.' He said information about the victims had to be hand delivered by letter to the Bandung district town.

'Rescue teams, including up to 400 police officers, would do their best efforts to help in finding and evacuate the victims,' Asep said.

Bandung district police chief Imran Yunus said about 50 houses were flattened by the landslide.

'Information about the victims is still confusing. We got a preliminary report that the fate of about 60 people was still unknown,' Yunus said.

Landslides are frequent in Indonesia, where years of deforestation leave hillsides vulnerable to collapse. Tropical downpours can quickly soak those stripped of the vegetation which had held the soil in place.

Heavy rain fell on the area around Pasirjambu village for a week before the mudslide.