Death toll from Indonesia's landslides, flood rises to 56

Landslides and floods in India's Central Java province at the weekend had left 56 people dead and 9 missing, with 22 others injured, an official from the disaster management agency said Thursday.

As many as 395 villagers have taken shelters as the natural disasters damaged over 143 houses and scores of infrastructure facilities, spokesman for the National Disaster Management Agency Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said.

A rescue operation, involving soldiers, police, volunteers, and those from local search and rescue office, is underway, he said.

Heavy downpours triggered landslides and floods in the province on Saturday with the districts of Purworejo, Banjarnegara and Kebumen being the hardest-hit, the official said.

Indonesia is frequently hit by floods and landslides during heavy downpours. Endit