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Landslide Toll Put At 78 In Indonesia

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By ZAKKI HAKIM, The Associated Press

Published: December 27, 2007

JAKARTA, Indonesia - Rescuers dug through mountains of mud Wednesday in search of survivors from landslides in western Indonesia. Some used bare hands because blocked roads delayed arrival of heavy-lifting equipment.

At least 78 people were feared dead - most killed in a Karanganyar district landslide that buried a late-night dinner party, rescue official Eko Prayitno said.

The victims had just cleaned up a mud-covered home. "They were having dinner together when they were hit by another landslide. At least 61 people were buried," Prayitno said.

In the Wonogiri district, 17 were feared dead when landslides hit their homes after a half-day of nonstop rain.

Soldiers, police and volunteers worked to get heavy-lift gear to villages on the main island of Java. Seasonal rains and high tides have caused widespread flooding.

The disasters hit on the third anniversary of a huge quake off Sumatra in December 2004 that triggered a tsunami, killing more than 230,000 people.

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