Landslide Buries Village on Flood-hit Java

A landslide on the Indonesian island of Java buried a village beneath tons of mud and rock today, as the number of people dead or missing following days of torrential rain climbed to more than 190, officials said.

One man described watching helplessly as dozens of his neighbours were buried alive in Cijeruk, around 200 miles east of Jakarta, some of them screaming "Allah Akbar (God is great)!" as they disappeared beneath the thick mud.

Despite attempts of residents and police to dig for survivors with their bare hands, officials held out little hope for more than 100 people still missing in the remote farming community.

Further east in Java, helicopters ferried away people injured in flash floods that have claimed 77 lives since Monday while soldiers and police wrapped white sheets around newly discovered dead bodies.

Heavy tropical downpours cause dozens of landslides and flash floods each year in Indonesia, where millions of people live in mountainous regions and near fertile flood plains close to rivers.

Many people in Cijeruk said they were aware the earth on the 50-metre hill that flanked their village may not hold and - after hearing a deep rumbling and cracking sound early today - fled to safer ground.

But others were at home either sleeping or performing Muslim prayers at the mosque when the mud, rocks and trees cascaded into the village just before dawn.

Saryono, 50, was trapped waist deep when he watched 20 to 30 of his neighbours disappear in the mud.

"They were yelling 'Allah Akhbar!' and then were slowly buried," said the fruit farmer, who was rescued 15 minutes later by other survivors. "I saw them buried alive."

Only 14 bodies have been recovered. Heavy lifting equipment was being used to remove earth and the remains of decimated wooden homes in search of the 100 villagers still missing and feared dead, said regional official Hadi Supeno.

Meanwhile in Jember, which was struck by landslides and flash floods on Monday, the number of dead climbed to 77 after 14 more bodies were found, said Edi Susilo, a local government spokesman.

Dozens of other people were still missing or stranded, Mr Susilo said, adding that many roads and bridges in the area were completely destroyed, hampering rescue efforts.

The local government scrambled to provide food, shelter and medicine to more than 5,400 people made homeless when mud, water and logs crashed into their villages, destroying hundreds of homes.

Jember is 490 miles east of Jakarta and 280 miles east of Cijeruk.