The landslide occurred on Tuesday in the city of Pekalongan in Central Java Province following heavy rains, trapping many people. Hundreds of rescue teams were deployed to the area, but difficult conditions forced them to suspend operations.
Before the search was suspended, three more bodies were found, bringing the death toll to 25, up from 17 earlier this week. The spokesperson said rescue teams were unable to answer questions about the number of people missing in the area.
The landslide occurred on a major road connecting Bekalongan to the Dieng Plateau, a well-known tourist area. Due to the difficulty of accessing the site, rescuers had to walk 4 kilometers to reach the scene. A bulldozer was also dispatched to clear the debris from the road.
In an effort to reduce further rainfall, Indonesian authorities conducted cloud seeding operations using salt in Central Java on Friday.
Earlier, Abdul Mahari, a spokesperson for the National Disaster Management Agency, said that the floods caused a landslide that buried two houses and a café in the resort town of Petongkruno, while the disasters together destroyed 25 houses, three major bridges, and one dam. This resulted in 13 people being injured and about 300 others being displaced to government shelters.
Meanwhile, landslides and flooding have been reported in other parts of Indonesia, including the island of Bali, where a landslide killed four people and left one person missing.
It should be noted that the rainy season in Indonesia, which runs from October to March, periodically leads to floods and landslides, particularly in mountainous areas and regions near floodplains. Studies indicate that the frequency of landslides may increase as rainfall increases due to climate change.