At least 56 dead following Java landslide.

Fifty six people are now known to have died and another fifty two are still missing following a landslide that demolished over 100 houses in the village of Jemblung in Central Java on Friday 12 December 2014. Over a thousand people are said to be involved in the search for more bodies and survivors (though the chances of finding anyone else alive are now thought to be extremely slim), including personel from the police and military, though rescue attempts are still being hampered by rainfall. As wel as the fatalities a number of people have been injured by the event, and survivors from the village have been evacuated to neighbouring communities.

 Rescue workers in the village of Jemblung in Central Java on Friday 12 December 2014. Fully Handoko/EPA.

The incident comes after several days of heavy rains that have caused flooding that has caused a number of landslips in Central Java, and killed one person in a landslide in Bandung Province, West Java on the previous day. Landslides are a common problem after severe weather events, as excess pore water pressure can overcome cohesion in soil and sediments, allowing them to flow like liquids. Approximately 90% of all landslides are caused by heavy rainfall. Central Java typically received around 2000 mm of rain per year, with a rainy season that lasts from November to May and peaks in January. Landslides are not an uncommon event here, particurly during the height of the rainy season.

See also...

Three feared dead after West Sumatra landslide.

Three people are missing presumed dead after a landslide struck a house in the village of Bukit Panjuik in...

Four people killed by landslide in Bogor, West Java.

Four people were killed in a landslide at Paris Beach on the shores of Lake Toba, near Nagori Tiga Ras in north Sumatra, at about 11.00 pm local time (about 4.00 pm GMT) on Saturday 9 November 2013. A retaining wall... 

 

Landslide kills nine on northern Sumatra.

Nine people are confirmed to have died following a landslide in the Berastagi sub-district on northern Sumatra on Saturday 30 November 2013. Four of the dead are said to be children under 10 years old. The incident happened following several hours of heavy rain...

 

 

 

Follow Sciency Thoughts on Facebook.