Cilacap. A landslide triggered by heavy rains struck Cibeunying village in Central Java’s Cilacap regency on Thursday night, killing three people and leaving 20 others missing as of Friday morning, disaster officials said.

Several homes were buried under soil and rubble when hillside terrain collapsed following hours of rain. Search-and-rescue operations were launched early Friday, with responders divided into five sectors targeting areas most likely to contain victims.

“Search efforts involve heavy machinery, extrication equipment, and manual tools to reach areas that remain inaccessible,” said Priyo Prayudha Utama, the rescue operation coordinator, from the disaster site.

Authorities said 46 people were affected in total -- 23 survivors, three fatalities, and 20 missing.

Progress has been slow due to unstable ground and limited access paths into the disaster zone. “The access trail is narrow and the ground remains soft, so heavy equipment can only move slowly,” said Taryo, head of Cilacap’s Disaster Mitigation Agency. A larger excavator is due to arrive midday to accelerate debris removal.

A state of emergency has been declared in the area until the end of November, subject to ongoing assessment of conditions.

Survivors Describe Terrifying Seconds
Residents who survived the disaster described the landslide as sudden and without warning.

Yayung, 62, said his house collapsed after being buried under landslide debris. He had just returned from evening prayers when he heard a deafening roar. His two children -- aged 28 and 11 -- were struck by falling rubble but managed to escape before the structure collapsed. Both are undergoing hospital treatment for fractured bones. His wife, who was on the terrace at the time, also survived, though the family lost all belongings, including four motorbikes.

Another resident, Edi, recalled that the landslide happened “in seconds.” He was drinking coffee at a neighbor’s house around 7:30 p.m. when he heard a roaring sound. Panicked, he ran home to rescue his sleeping child.

“My child’s room wasn’t hit. The house was gone, but my children survived,” he said through tears. One of his children, a third-grade student, was at home during the disaster, while the other was outside the village.

Villagers reported only light drizzle shortly before the incident, but persistent rain since the afternoon had saturated the hillside -- a known trigger in the hilly landscape of Cibeunying.

Search-and-rescue operations are expected to continue around the clock as authorities race against time to locate the remaining missing individuals.
 

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