"Until Sunday afternoon, the number of dead victims reaches 31 people," according to head of the Data and Information Center of the
National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) Sutopo Purwo Nugroho here on Sunday.
The seven bodies were found in Purworejo Sub-district, Sutopo stated, adding that the rescue team continued searching the other 19 people who were reported missing.
Sutopo earlier stated that 24 people were killed and 26 others went missing in floods and landslides that hit 16 districts in the Central Java.
"The natural disasters were triggered by heavy rain which fell since Saturday afternoon until mid night," Sutopo said in a press statement.
The districts/municipal cities which were hit by the floods and landslides in Central Java were Purworejo, Banjarnegara, Kendal, Sragen, Purbalingga, Banyumas, Sukoharjo, Kebumen, Wonosobo, Pemalang, Klaten, Magelang, Wonogiri, Cilacap, Karanganyar and Kota Solo.
Sutopo said the disaster also caused damage to tens of houses buried by landslides and thousands of others inundated by flood waters.
Most of the dead victims were found in Purworejo District. Five residents of Karangrejo village of Loano subdistrict were buried by landslides while nine others (non local residents) were also found dead.
"When a small landslide blocked the road in the location, three passenger of a truck tried to move away the rocks. Behind the truck were several motorcyclists. All of a sudden a major landslides happened and buried the vehicles and people on the road. Nine dead victims have been evacuated," Sutopo pointed out.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
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