Indonesian landslides kill 52 in Java

November 6, 2000
Web posted at: 10:59 AM HKT (0259 GMT)

JAKARTA, Indonesia (Reuters) -- At least 52 people have been killed in landslides triggered by torrential rains in Indonesia's Central Java province, local media reported on Monday.

The Kompas newspaper said the landslides hit the hilly district of Purworejo in the early hours of Sunday after three days of heavy rain.

Most residents were sleeping when the mud buried seven villages in the area, 400 km (240 miles) southeast of Jakarta, the daily said.

It said the death toll was likely to climb as rescuers continued to comb the area searching for bodies.

It was the second series of landslides in a week in the province. Last week up to 28 people were killed in the districts of Cilacap and Banyumas.

Copyright 2000 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For more ASIANOW news, myCNN.com will bring you news from the areas and subjects you select.

See related sites about Southeast Asia
Southeast Asian media sites

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.