“What we worry about most is the risk of subsequent (landslides). Sometimes when we’re in the operation, we aren’t focusing on the slopes that still have the potential for landslides,” rescuer Rifaldi Ashabi, 25, said.
Thousands of rescuers were involved in Monday’s operation, National Search and Rescue Agency operations director Yudhi Bramantyo said.
They are using manual excavation to locate the victims and have deployed heavy equipment.
The disaster comes after the devastating floods and landslides struck parts of Sumatra island late last year, which killed around 1,200 people.
Such disasters are common across the vast archipelago during the rainy season, which typically runs from October to March.
This month, torrential rains battered Indonesia’s Siau island, causing a flash flood that killed at least 16 people.
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