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Indonesian rescue teams have recovered 10 bodies swept away by flash floods or buried under thick layers of mud and debris following severe weather in Java, the country’s main island. The catastrophic flooding and landslides, which have ravaged hilly villages in West Java's Sukabumi district, have left two people still missing, authorities reported Monday.
Over 3,000 residents were forced to seek refuge in temporary shelters, while 400 homes remain under threat. The deluge destroyed 31 bridges, 81 roads, and over 1,300 acres of rice fields, submerging more than 1,100 houses and damaging thousands of buildings, according to local disaster officials.
Rescue teams focused their efforts on the worst-hit areas, such as Tegalbuleud, Simpenan, and Ciemas, where three children were among the 10 recovered bodies. Videos circulating online showed floodwaters sweeping away cars, livestock, and other belongings as entire villages turned into muddy wastelands.
The disaster underscores the region's vulnerability during the rainy season, which runs from October to March. Flooding and landslides are a recurring threat across Indonesia’s 17,000 islands, where many people live in high-risk zones like mountainous regions or fertile plains prone to flooding.
Just last month, similar disasters in North Sumatra province claimed 20 lives, left two missing, and caused a landslide that struck a tourist bus, killing nine people.