Eleven people are missing and 14 have been injured following a landslide Thursday that cascaded down the terraced slopes of a rice field on the Indonesian island of Java, officials said.

The missing people, farmers tending their crops in Brebes district, Central Java, were buried under an avalanche of mud and rock around 8:00am (0100 GMT).

"The landslide buried the farmers working in their rice fields," disaster mitigation agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said in a statement.

The incident followed several days of heavy rain in the mountainous area, which is about seven hours east of the capital Jakarta.

Another 14 farmers were injured and have been taken to a nearby medical centre for treatment.

Rescuers including the army, police and local volunteers are digging through the debris to search for survivors, the disaster mitigation agency said.

Residents have been forbidden from entering the area due to fears of further landslides.

"The soil is unstable, if it's raining, it could be dangerous," Apriyanto Sudarmoko, local sub-district head, told national TV station.

"We also ask residents living near the site to vacate their homes until it's safe."

Landslides are common in Indonesia, especially during wet season between October and April, when rain lashes the country.

Eight miners were killed on the slopes of Mount Merapi, an active volcano near the city of Jogjakarta, in December last year.

A month earlier at least 11 people people died in heavy flooding and landslides in Pacitan, East Java.

Related Links
Bringing Order To A World Of Disasters
A world of storm and tempest
When the Earth Quakes

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Hong Kong activist on trial over riots
Hong Kong (AFP) Feb 21, 2018
Hong Kong's best-known independence activist went on trial on riot charges Wednesday over protests in 2016 which saw the city's worst violence for decades. Edward Leung, 26, the former leader of pro-independence party Hong Kong Indigenous, pleaded guilty last month to assaulting a police officer and has been in custody since then. He could face a maximum of 10 years in jail if found guilty of rioting. The charges relate to Leung's involvement in Lunar New Year clashes in February 2016, when ... read more