Indonesia Resumes Search for 80 Missing in West Java Landslide

Indonesian authorities on Sunday resumed search-and-rescue operations for at least 80 people missing after a landslide killed 10 others in a hillside village in West Java province. The disaster struck early Saturday in Pasir Langu, a residential area in the West Bandung region about 100 kilometers southeast of Jakarta, burying homes under mud and debris as residents slept.

The landslide, which occurred around 2 a.m. local time, was triggered by relentless heavy rains that began the previous day and saturated the soil on nearby slopes. Indonesia's weather agency had issued warnings of continued downpours across West Java and several other regions for up to a week, raising fears of further instability in vulnerable areas. Officials from the National Disaster Mitigation Agency reported that the affected zone spanned roughly 30 hectares, with loose soil and water from Mount Burangrang's flanks crashing into about 30 homes.

Rescue teams, including military personnel, police and volunteers, faced significant challenges on Saturday due to the unstable terrain and ongoing rain, which prevented the use of heavy machinery. Instead, efforts relied on manual excavation, water pumps to...