MAGELANG, Indonesia – Disaster officials say eight people have been found dead after being buried in a landslide while excavating a sand pit on Indonesia's main island of Java.
National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho says rescuers retrieved the bodies of eight men and rescued eight other workers buried in the landslide Monday in the Central Java district of Magelang.
Nugroho says hundreds of rescuers and villagers searched for possible victims buried under tons of debris in the sand pit. The number of missing is unclear.
The search was halted due to darkness and officials did not hold out hope that any victims would be found alive.
Flooding and landslides kill scores of people every year in Indonesia. Many disasters are blamed on deforestation caused by rampant illegal logging.
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