Java, Indonesia Hit by Heavy Rain: Landslide Leaves 8 Dead, 82 Missing

Rainy Season Peaks This Month
Flood and Landslide Risks Remain High Through Next Month

At least eight people have died and 82 are missing after a massive landslide struck Indonesia’s Java Island following heavy rainfall.

Landslide in West Bandung, Indonesia

According to reports from AP, AFP, and Indonesian media outlet Kompas.com on the 24th (local time), a rain-weakened mountainside collapsed around 2:30 a.m. in the West Bandung area of West Java province. Abdul Muhari, spokesperson for the National Disaster Management Agency, confirmed that so far eight people have been killed and 82 are missing.

The landslide buried 34 houses as soil and rocks swept over the village, while rescue authorities have managed to save 24 people. Spokesperson Muhari stated, "There are many missing persons," and added, "We plan to carry out rescue operations as efficiently as possible." Rescue teams are using drones to search the buried areas and, due to concerns about additional landslides, have evacuated residents living within approximately 100 meters of the disaster site.

Previously, the Indonesian Meteorological Agency had warned that the risk of floods and landslides could increase significantly from this month through next month, as the rainy season peaks in regions including Java, Sulawesi, and Papua. Recently, the capital city Jakarta has also experienced repeated damage from heavy rainfall, with major roads and residential areas inundated.

In Indonesia, the rainy season lasts from October to April each year, during which landslides and floods occur frequently, resulting in repeated casualties. At the end of November last year, floods and landslides caused by heavy rains in three northern provinces of Sumatra Island left 1,178 people dead and displaced more than 240,000 over a two-week period. At the time, experts warned that the frequency and intensity of heavy rainfall had increased due to climate change, and that indiscriminate logging and reckless development had damaged forests, exacerbating the impact of such disasters.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.