The landslide struck early Saturday after days of heavy rain, which had soaked the hillsides and weakened the ground. Indonesia’s weather agency warned that persistent rainfall could continue for up to a week across West Java and several other regions, raising fears of further disasters.

Pasir Langu village, located about 100 kilometers southeast of Jakarta, was among the hardest hit. The area sits in hilly terrain, where rainwater can quickly turn soil unstable.
Local resident Dedi Kurniawan, 36, said the disaster was unlike anything he had seen before.

‘We are used to small floods from the nearby river,’ he told Reuters. ‘But this time, the danger came from the forest.’

Rescue operations have been slowed by harsh conditions. Continuous rain and fragile ground have made it unsafe to deploy heavy machinery, forcing teams to rely on manual searches. Authorities said the risk of further landslides remains high.

Meanwhile, flooding has been reported across West Java, including parts of Jakarta. In severely affected neighborhoods, residents were urged to move to higher ground or seek shelter in safer locations.

The tragedy comes only two months after cyclone-triggered floods and landslides devastated parts of Sumatra, killing more than 1,200 people, destroying thousands of homes, and displacing over one million residents.

As rescue teams continue their work, the disaster serves as a stark reminder of Indonesia’s growing vulnerability to extreme weather, especially during the rainy season, when nature can turn unforgiving with little warning.