More bodies found after Indonesia landslides, 23 dead and 28 missing

Rescuers recovered more bodies in the search for people buried under landslides in two areas of Indonesia’s main island of Java, raising the confirmed deaths to 23, officials said Thursday.

Workers dug through tons of mud and rubble with nearly two dozen excavators in the Cilacap district of Central Java province retrieving four bodies Wednesday after landslides triggered by torrential rains last week hit dozens of houses in three



villages, said Abdul Muhari, spokesperson for the National Disaster Mitigation Agency.

The finds raised the death toll to 20 in that area. He said the search for three people still missing was continuing.

Local officials also said 296 houses would be moved from the landslide-prone area within the next six months, and each family waiting for a new house will receive 600,000 rupiah (USD 36) per month in compensation.