Indonesia landslide death toll rises to 38, dozens missing
West Java's governor Dedi Mulyadi blamed the landslide on the sprawling plantations around the mountain village where it occurred.
Indonesian military personnel and a rescue member carry water pump machine from the site of a landslide following heavy rains in Pasir Langu village, West Bandung regency, West Java province, Indonesia, on Jan 27, 2026. (Photo: Reuters/Ajeng Dinar Ulfiana)
JAKARTA: The death toll from a landslide in Indonesia has risen to 38 with dozens still missing, authorities said on Wednesday (Jan 28), days after the torrent of debris crashed through a mountain village.
Heavy rain triggered the landslide that barrelled through Pasirlangu on Saturday, severely damaging dozens of homes and displacing hundreds.
A total of 38 victims had been identified by 6.30pm (7.30pm, Singapore time) on Wednesday, Ade Dian Permana, head of the Bandung Search and Rescue Agency, said in a statement.
The number of people still missing was revised down to 27, he said, from an earlier tally of 32.
Rescuers have been scouring the unstable area in Java island's West Bandung region by hand and using heavy equipment.
But they are treading carefully for fear of more landslides due to severe weather.
The navy said on Monday that 23 troops, who were training in the area ahead of a deployment to Indonesia's border with Papua New Guinea, were among those caught in the landslide.
The disaster severely damaged more than 50 houses and displaced over 650 people, according to local authorities.
West Java's governor Dedi Mulyadi blamed the landslide on the sprawling plantations around Pasirlangu, which are mostly used to grow vegetables, and pledged to relocate affected residents.
The government has pointed to the role forest loss played in flooding and landslides on Sumatra Island late last year, which killed around 1,200 people and displaced more than 240,000.
Forests help absorb rainfall and stabilise the ground held by their roots, and their absence makes areas more prone to landslides.
Such disasters are common across the vast Indonesian archipelago during the rainy season, which typically runs from October to March.
