Rain halts search for Indonesian landslide victims

SIJERUK, Indonesia (AFP) — Rescuers called off the search for up to 200 people buried in a landslide that flattened a village in central Indonesia due to heavy rain as hopes of finding survivors faded.

Officials said 34 bodies had been recovered but scores more remained buried following Wednesday's landslide in Central Java province, which was triggered by heavy rains.

Rescuers halted the search in the afternoon for fear of another lanslide as more heavy rain pounded the area.

Among the bodies unearthed by rescuers on Thursday was that of a woman holding her child.

"The possibility of finding survivors is almost nil," Mulyanto, a soldier assisting in the rescue efforts in the village of Sijeruk, told AFP earlier Thursday.

Banjarnegara district deputy chief Hadi Supeno told reporters at the scene that an estimated 142 people were buried when the landslide struck, meaning around 100 bodies were still to ...