JAKARTA, Indonesia — Indonesian rescuers resumed an urgent search Sunday for about 80 people still missing after a West Java landslide buried homes in Pasir Langu village and killed at least 10, Jan. 25, 2026.
The collapse struck in the early hours Saturday in West Bandung regency after heavy rain soaked hillsides, sending mud, rocks and uprooted trees into residential areas. Officials said dozens of houses were hit, while unstable ground and continuing rain have slowed the use of heavy equipment.
West Java landslide: where the search is focused
Search teams have concentrated on the hardest-hit pockets of Pasir Langu, near the slopes of Mount Burangrang, where residents reported houses were swallowed in minutes. Indonesia’s national search-and-rescue effort has relied on ground crews, drones and dogs to cover the debris field, while evacuation sites have been set up for families displaced by the West Java landslide, according to an Associated Press report.
Indonesia’s disaster agency has warned the list of missing may shift as families reconcile who was at home when the West Java landslide hit. “The number of missing persons is high, we will try to optimise our search and rescue efforts today,” BNPB spokesperson Abdul Muhari said, according to Reuters.
Rain, terrain and safety risks for crews
Rescuers have had to work carefully around saturated soil that could trigger additional slips. Indonesia’s weather agency has issued continuing alerts for heavy rain in the province, including its West Java early-warning bulletin, which officials said could keep conditions dangerous through the week.
Local and national agencies have also urged residents along steep slopes and riverbanks to remain ready to move if rainfall intensifies again. State-run media reported hundreds of people were moved from nearby homes as a precaution, while teams continued to check shelters and hospitals for survivors, according to Antara’s coverage of the search.
West Java landslide and Indonesia’s recurring wet-season risk
The West Java landslide is the latest reminder of how quickly extreme rain can turn deadly in Indonesia’s mountainous, densely populated regions during the wet season. In 2019, landslides in Sukabumi regency, also in West Java, killed at least 15 and left others missing after heavy rain buried homes, Reuters reported at the time.
In January 2021, a separate West Java landslide disaster in Cihanjuang followed days of heavy rain and killed at least 13 people, with rescue efforts hampered by continuing storms, according to AP’s reporting. More recently, torrential rain in Sukabumi in December 2024 triggered flash floods and landslides across dozens of villages, AP reported, underscoring how recurring downpours can overwhelm hillsides and drainage systems.
For now, families near Pasir Langu are waiting for word as crews continue to dig through debris, hoping to find survivors and to confirm who remains missing after the West Java landslide.
