Intense rainfall in a mountainous area near Pekalongan city in Central Java province sparked the landslide on Monday, collapsing bridges and burying cars and houses.
“Suddenly there was a sound of an explosion from inside the cafe. So the land exploded. Suddenly it all destroyed, everything in the cafe was rolled up,“ Nasiri, who like many Indonesians goes by one name, told AFP while lying on a stretcher at a health centre.
Rescuers found two bodies Wednesday morning, raising the toll to 19, said Abdul Muhari, a spokesman for the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB).
Heavy machinery was deployed to clear road access for search teams and around 200 rescue personnel have been sent to help the rescue effort, local official Mohammad Yulian Akbar said.
Landslide-prone
But efforts were intermittently suspended Tuesday as heavy rain continued to pound the area.
Indonesia is prone to landslides during the rainy season, typically between November and April.
But some disasters caused by adverse weather have taken place outside that season in recent years. Climate change has also increased the intensity of storms, leading to heavier rains, flash floods and stronger gusts.
In May, at least 67 people died after heavy rains caused flash floods in West Sumatra, pushing a mixture of ash, sand, and pebbles from the eruption of Mount Marapi into residential areas.
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