Basarnas, Officials Lead Searches After Deadly West Java Landslide

Basarnas and local rescuers resumed searches on Jan. 24, 2026, in Pasir Langu village, West Bandung, West Java, after a predawn landslide that authorities said buried about 34 houses and left death and missing figures in dispute, with some agencies reporting 11 dead and others reporting as few as 7 and missing counts between 79 and 82, officials said.

The landslide was triggered by torrential rains during Java's rainy season, and Indonesian Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka visited the site on Jan. 24, 2026 and urged West Java and West Bandung authorities to address land conversion in disaster-prone areas, he said.

Basarnas chief Mohammad Syafii told reporters on Jan. 24, 2026 that unstable ground and ongoing bad weather hampered operations and that teams would deploy drones, K-9 units and ground crews while prioritizing safety.

About 230 residents were evacuated to temporary government shelters and rescuers said some homes were buried up to the roof level, while heavy equipment and excavators remained mostly idle because the soil was too soft, Ade Dian Permana of the search and rescue office said.

Officials warned that if slopes do not stabilize crews will continue manual excavation and that rescue operations will proceed only as weather and safety permit, and authorities pledged to study land-use changes to reduce future landslide risk, Gibran said.