Landslide kills 16 in Indonesia's Central Java

The search for those missing has been hampered by rain, said Catursasi, said an official at the country's regional disaster mitigation agency.

"The search continues on, because we don't have a lot of time. We're in a race with the weather," he said.

Torrential rains on Monday caused rivers to burst their banks, tearing through nine villages in Pekalongan regency of Central Java province, as mud, rocks and trees tumbled down mountainside hamlets, Catursasi said.

He said rescue workers are searching for nine villagers who are reportedly still missing.

Seasonal rain from about October to March frequently causes flooding and landslides in Indonesia, an archipelago of 17,000 islands where millions of people live in mountainous areas or near fertile flood plains.

with AP