Foreign Desk Report
JAKARTA: Two landslides triggered by heavy rains have killed at least 11 people and injured 18 others in western Indonesia, according to officials. The landslides at Cihanjuang village in West Java, about 150km (95 miles) southeast of the capital, Jakarta, took place at 4pm (09:00 GMT) and 7:30pm (12:30 GMT) on Saturday, a spokesman for the Indonesian National Board for Disaster Management (BNPB) said in a statement on Sunday.
“The first landslide was triggered by high rainfall and unstable soil conditions. The subsequent landslide occurred while officers were still evacuating victims around the first landslide area,” Raditya Jati said. Rescuers were among the victims, he said.
The death toll was preliminary as of Sunday morning, Jati said, adding that potential rain and thunderstorms through the day may hamper rescue efforts. Seasonal rains and high tide in recent days have caused dozens of landslides and widespread flooding across much of Indonesia.
