Indonesian Red Cross fears large landslide toll

The Indonesian Red Cross has warned that hundreds of people could have died in a landslide in Indonesia's central Java province…

The Indonesian Red Cross has warned that hundreds of people could have died in a landslide in Indonesia's central Java province.

Irman Rachman, head of disaster management at the Indonesian Red Cross, warned as many as 300 people could be dead.

"There were more than 100 families living at the buried area and if we say each family has three members, 300 could be buried if all of them were there," he said.

"Hopefully, some were out of the village when it happened."

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Rescuers are continuing their search for victims buried under the massive landslide that crashed into a mountainous village in Indonesia's Central Java province.

Under blue skies after days of rain, four excavators were clearing debris and rescuers found several more mud-covered bodies, including a mother tightly hugging her child.

Surviving family members clustered near the partially destroyed village of Sijeruk wailed in grief over those pulled out or still missing and feared dead.

So far, rescuers have recovered 34 bodies from the debris after Wednesday's pre-dawn disaster, local Metro television reported. Hundreds of rescuers from the military, police and aid groups have joined the search.

The disaster followed landslides in neighbouring East Java province earlier this week that killed at least 77 people.

Local media said flooding and small landslides had damaged roads and bridges in other parts of densely populated Java island, where 130 million of Indonesia 220 million people live.

Yesterday's landslide crashed into hundreds of houses in Sijeruk, home to around 700 people.

Mud up to 6 metres (20 feet) high encased the remains of many homes, although not all were hit by the debris. The landslide erupted from a thickly forested hill, indicating that excessive logging was not the cause of the tragedy.

Rescuers said they were retrieving bodies after digging through piles of mud. Evacuation efforts have been hampered by rain and a lack of equipment.