Indonesia landslide death toll rises to 31 as rescuers search for 20 missing

The death toll from landslides in two regions of Indonesia has risen to 31, while the search for 20 missing people continues, local authorities said on Saturday.

In Pandanarum village, Banjarnegara Regency in Central Java, 18 people remain missing, while authorities have recovered 10 bodies, state-run Antara News reported, citing Budiono, head of the joint search and rescue office in Semarang.

Semarang is the capital and largest city of Indonesia’s Central Java province.

Budiono added that two unidentified body parts were also recovered.

In a separate landslide in the Majenang district, Cilacap Regency, also in Central Java, search teams found 21 bodies, while two people remain missing following last week's disaster, according to the agency.

The joint search and rescue operation has deployed about 500 personnel to locate missing victims in Pandanarum, with dozens more working in the Majenang district.

Separately, severe flooding and heavy rainfall continued on Saturday in Songkhla, southern Thailand, which recorded 595 millimetres (23.4 inches) of rain over the past three days, according to the Bangkok Post.

Authorities warned residents in 103 communities to prepare for possible evacuation due to the worsening flooding. On Friday, officials declared seven districts as emergency disaster zones after nearly 45,000 people were affected.

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Source: TRT