Indonesia landslide kills 8 villagers; 9 missing

BANDUNG, Indonesia — A landslide triggered by torrential rain killed at least eight people and left nine others missing on Indonesia’s main island of Java, an official said Monday.

Nine houses were buried when mud gushed down from surrounding hills just after dawn Monday in Cililin village, West Bandung district.

Sigit Udjwalaprana of the local Disaster Mitigation Agency said rescuers dug up a 32-year-old father and his seven-year-old son embracing each other, just hours before the search was halted due to darkness.

Earlier, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho of the national agency said rescuers pulled out six bodies, including four children, from the rubble of the landslide.

Sigit said a lack of equipment hampered the 300 policemen, soldiers and residents who used their hands, shovels and hoes to search through the debris for the missing.

Seasonal downpours cause dozens of landslides and flash floods each year in Indonesia, a vast chain of 17,000 islands where millions of people live in mountainous areas or near fertile flood plains.

National Disaster Mitigation Agency said 83 people have died from 54 landslides this year in Indonesia.