Jakarta, Jan 29 (V7N) — The death toll from a landslide in Indonesia’s West Java province has risen to 53, while at least 27 people remain missing, according to media reports on Wednesday.

Authorities said around 800 rescue workers, including soldiers and police personnel, have been deployed to search for survivors and recover bodies. Rescue operations have been hampered by continuous rainfall, though officials said the search effort will continue for at least 14 days.

The Indonesian Navy reported that 23 soldiers went missing while conducting border patrol training in the affected area. It has not yet been confirmed whether any of the recovered bodies belong to military personnel.

The disaster-hit village is located in a mountainous region of West Java, approximately 100 kilometers southeast of the capital Jakarta.

The landslide was triggered by heavy rainfall and flooding that struck the province on Saturday, January 24. Indonesia is highly prone to such natural disasters during the monsoon season.

Earlier, in a separate incident about two months ago, more than 1,000 people were killed in floods and landslides on the island of Sumatra, highlighting the country’s ongoing vulnerability to extreme weather events.

END/SMA/AJ