Landslide kills eight, dozens missing in Indonesia's West Java

2026-01-25 - 21:05

A devastating landslide in Indonesia's most populous province, West Java, has resulted in multiple fatalities and left scores of people unaccounted for, with rescue operations underway under challenging conditions. Casualty Figures and Impact According to local police chief A.Y. Yogaswara, cited by the Antara news agency, at least eight people have been confirmed dead following the landslide on Saturday. The disaster, which hit a village within the West Bandung regency, has left 82 others missing. Initial reports indicate that dozens of residential structures were engulfed by the slide. Rescue Efforts Amid Adverse Conditions Search and rescue teams have been deployed to locate the missing individuals in the affected area. The operation is complicated by the difficult, unstable terrain and adverse weather forecasts predicting moderate to very heavy rainfall in the coming days, which raises concerns about further ground instability and hampers efforts. Context and Regional Vulnerability Landslides are a common natural hazard in Indonesia, particularly during the rainy season. The archipelago's volcanic soil and densely populated mountainous regions make areas like West Java especially prone to such disasters. The scale of this event, with a high number of missing persons, points to a significant localized impact.