Sawt Falasteen - Indonesia landslide death toll rises to 17, dozens missing

People gathered near the site in Java's West Bandung region, desperately awaiting news of their loved ones as rescuers, who fear another landslide, scoured the unstable area.

The flow of soil and debris barrelled through the village of Pasirlangu early on Saturday, burying residential areas and forcing dozens to evacuate their homes.

"It's impossible that they are still alive. I just want their bodies to be found," said Aep Saepudin, who has been coming to the village daily for updates about his 11 family members who are missing, including his sister.

"My heart aches. I feel so sad seeing my older sister like that (buried by the landslide)", he told AFP.

Abdul Muhari, a spokesman for the national disaster agency, confirmed on Monday that at least 17 people were killed and local officials said 73 were still missing.

More than 50 houses were severely damaged by the disaster, which also displaced more than 650 people, the local disaster agency added.

Dozens of rescuers were searching the area at the foot of Mount Burangrang on Monday under dark rain clouds, an AFP reporter saw.

They excavated manually and used heavy equipment, but said they had to tread carefully for fear of another landslide due to the unstable ground and bad weather.

"What we worry about most is the risk of subsequent (landslides). Sometimes when we're in the operation, we aren't focusing on the slopes that still have the potential for landslides," rescuer Rifaldi Ashabi, 25, told AFP.

- 'Should be forested' -

The disaster comes after the government pointed to the role forest loss played in flooding and landslides on Sumatra island late last year, which killed around 1,200 people and displaced more than 240,000.

The government has filed multiple lawsuits following the Sumatra floods, seeking more than $200 million in damages against six firms.

It also stripped more than two dozen permits last week from forestry, mining and hydroelectric companies in Sumatra.

West Java's governor Dedi Mulyadi blamed Saturday's disaster on the sprawling plantations around Pasirlangu, mostly used to grow vegetables, and pledged to relocate affected residents.

"This area should be forested. Local residents should be relocated because the potential for landslide is high," Dedi said in a statement Saturday.

Forests help absorb rainfall and stabilise the ground held by their roots, while their absence makes areas more prone to flash flooding and landslides, David Gaveau, founder of conservation start-up The TreeMap, told AFP in December.

Floods and landslides are common across the vast archipelago during the rainy season, which typically runs from October to March.

This month, torrential rains battered Indonesia's Siau island, causing a flash flood that killed at least 16 people.

W.AbuLaban--SF-PST