Indonesia landslide death toll rises to 44

Heavy rain triggered the landslide that barrelled through Pasirlangu village on Saturday, wrecking dozens of houses and displacing hundreds in the area southeast of the capital Jakarta.

Thousands of rescuers have been digging through mud manually and with heavy equipment, helped by the military, police and volunteers.

So far 44 bodies have been recovered and identified, said the head of the national search and rescue agency, Mohammad Syafii.

He said that at least 20 more people were missing, adding that bad weather had hindered the search.

"The area is experiencing light to moderate rain accompanied by a light fog so there is limited visibility," Syafii said.

The nearly week-long search and rescue operation in Java's West Bandung region has been extended until February 6, he added.

The navy said on Monday that 23 troops, who were training in the area ahead of a deployment to Indonesia's border with Papua New Guinea, were among those caught in the landslide.

The disaster seriously damaged more than 50 houses and displaced more than 650 people, according to local authorities.

Provincial governor Dedi Mulyadi blamed the landslide on the sprawling plantations around Pasirlangu, which are mostly used to grow vegetables.

"What used to be forested areas and mountains have all become farmland," he said during a visit to the affected area this week.

The government has pointed to the role forest loss played in flooding and landslides on Sumatra island late last year, which killed around 1,200 people and displaced more than 240,000.

Forests help absorb rainfall and stabilise the ground held by their roots, and their absence makes areas more prone to landslides.

Such disasters are common across the vast Indonesian archipelago during the rainy season, which typically runs from October to March.