Indonesia, death toll rises in Java landslide: 25 dead and 72 missing

Rome, 26 Jan. (LaPresse/AP) – Improved weather conditions on Sunday helped rescuers on Indonesia's main island of Java recover more bodies as they dug through mud and debris in search of dozens of people missing in a landslide that killed more than two dozen villagers. The landslide struck before dawn on the slopes of Mount Burangrang in West Java province on Saturday, burying about 34 houses in the village of Pasir Langu. On Sunday, 72 people were still missing, many of them feared buried under tons of mud, rocks and uprooted trees. About 230 residents living near the site were evacuated to government shelters. A 250-person search team collected the remains of victims, including body parts, in 14 body bags on Sunday, bringing the total recovered to 25, said Ade Dian Permana, head of the local search and rescue office.