TASEK PAUH blogspot

Police said seven more bodies had been found as rescue operations were stepped up after a deadly landslide in Indonesia's Sumatra island.

The death toll rose to 18 on Saturday after days of heavy rainfall caused the slide on Friday.

Andy Kesatria, a police officer, said the hunt would continue until all the bodies had been located in what is a mountainous area.

The landslide was in a remote valley below Mount Talang, 40km east of Padang. It destroyed a mosque and eight houses, Kesatria said.

He said eight people were still in hospital with injuries.

"This morning we dispatched 15 more officers to the disaster area. The weather is clear and we now have two heavy machines to assist the operation.

"I think many [bodies] are buried deep in the ground. But we will only stop the search after all the bodies are found."

Landslides and flash floods are not unusual in Indonesia, especially during the monsoon rains which typically hit a peak in January.

In April, flash flooding and landslides triggered by monsoon rains killed at least 23 people in East Java.

At least 12 people were killed in similar disasters in January on other islands in the archipelago nation, while more than 150 people were also killed on Java in two separate landslides.

Labels: Berita, Indonesia, Luar Negeri