The death toll from a landslide in Indonesia's West Java province over the weekend has reached at least 50, with 33 people still missing, Indonesian police said this morning, as quoted by DPA.
A police disaster victim identification team is working to identify 50 people whose bodies have been recovered so far from the landslide site in the West Bandung area after additional rescue operations by search and rescue teams, police said.
Among the victims already identified are four members of the Indonesian Marine Corps after tons of mud and debris buried the village on which a hill collapsed in the early hours of Saturday. Among those buried by the landslide are 23 marines, the Indonesian Navy said.
"Four dead marines have been found so far. The rest have not yet been found," said Admiral Muhammad Ali, the country's chief of staff of the navy.
The marines arrived at the site late on Thursday to take part in planned military exercises, he added.
Search and rescue efforts involving the military, police and civilian volunteers have been hampered by hazardous conditions that have forced rescue teams to periodically suspend operations for safety reasons, Indonesian officials said.
Landslides are common in Indonesia during the rainy season, which lasts from November to March, due to mountainous terrain, heavy rainfall and widespread deforestation.