Rain-triggered landslide kills 16 in Indonesia
JAKARTA

A landslide triggered by heavy rain on Indonesia's main island of Java has killed at least 16 people with three others missing, disaster officials said on Jan. 21.
Intense rainfall in a mountainous area near Pekalongan city, Central Java province, sparked the landslide on Jan. 20, collapsing at least one bridge and burying houses and cars in thick mud.
"Sixteen people were found dead after being buried by a landslide in ... Pekalongan district, Central Java," National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) spokesman Abdul Muhari said in a statement.
"The landslide buried two houses and dragged several vehicles passing through the area."
Muhari said three people were missing while Pekalongan police chief Doni Prakoso Widamanto gave a higher toll of five missing to local broadcaster Metro TV.
He said the landslide hit the area, around 90 kilometers west of the city of Semarang, on Jan. 20 afternoon and rescue workers were trying to find at least five still missing.
Muhari said the weather forecast for the next three days showed potential moderate rains that could "cause floods, flash floods and landslides."
Bergas Catursasi Penanggungan, a Central Java disaster agency official, gave a higher death toll of 17 and said rescuers faced delays due to the difficulty of accessing the area.