PEKALONGAN: Hundreds of rescuers were searching through thick mud and debris to find survivors on Wednesday after a rain-triggered landslide in Indonesia killed at least 19 people and left seven missing. Intense rainfall in a mountainous area near Pekalongan city in Central Java province sparked the landslide on Monday, collapsing bridges and burying cars and houses. The worst hit area was Kasimpar village according to a local official, with survivors recounting the horror of the landslide crashing into a coffee shop where people were sheltering from the rain. Rescuers found two bodies on Wednesday morning, raising the toll to 19, said Abdul Muhari, a spokesman for the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB). Search and rescue agency Basarnas said in a statement that 13 people were also injured. Heavy machinery was deployed to clear road access for search teams and around 200 rescue personnel have been sent to help the rescue effort, local official Mohammad Yulian Akbar said. — AFP
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