A landslide destroyed a remote village in Indonesia, killing at least 20 people, an official said, as rescuers used their bare hands and sticks to search through the mud for scores of missing in the absence of heavy-lifting equipment.
Hundreds have been evacuated from around Jemblung village in the Banjarnegara regency of central Java.
Flash floods and fatal landslides triggered by seasonal downpours are common in Indonesia.
Rescuers were forced to dig with their bare hands until tractors and bulldozers arrived on Sunday.
Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, a spokesman for the country’s national disaster agency, said some of the roads leading to the site had been cleared. “Today the search for survivors will be carried out using heavy excavation equipment. The landslide has blocked road access since yesterday,” he said.
Over 1,000 rescuers, including police and soldiers, are involved in the operation.
The country’s national disaster agency said hundreds of houses had been destroyed by the landslide, with almost 600 residents moved to temporary shelters.
