Hundreds feared dead, missing after landslides in Indonesia

CIJERUK, Indonesia – Soldiers and volunteers used their bare hands today to search for survivors buried beneath tons of mud and rock after landslides wiped out several Indonesian villages, leaving more than 200 people dead or missing, officials said.

Thousands of people watched the rescue operations from behind police lines in the village of Cijeruk on Java island, where 16 bodies were recovered since a huge landslide buried the community Wednesday. More than 100 people were unaccounted for and feared dead.

The landslide sent mud, rocks and trees cascading onto Cijeruk before dawn, when many residents were still asleep or were praying at the local mosque.

Meanwhile, in the district of Jember hundreds of miles to the east, helicopters were trying to reach people who survived landslides and flash floods this week that killed at least 103 people, said local government spokesman Purwanto, who goes by one name. Dozens more were missing or stranded.

Heavy tropical downpours cause dozens of landslides and flash floods each year in the world’s most populous Muslim nation, where millions of people live in mountainous regions and near fertile flood plains close to rivers.