A joint rescue team has recovered the bodies of 13 victims and is still searching for more than 100 others under the rubble of dozens of houses following a landslide in Sampang village, Banjarnegara regency, Central Java.

'We have managed to unearth 13 bodies and are still looking for more than 100 people missing since the landslide,' deputy Banjarnegara regent Hadi Supeno said on Saturday.

He said there were reports of earlier landslides on a smaller scale that led to the biggest one that happened on Friday night and buried most of the houses in the village. He added that currently their biggest challenge was how to penetrate further into the heart of the village, which has been buried under material brought down by the landslide.

Good news was reported from Lt. Col. Edi Rahmatulloh who heads the local 0704 Regional Military District and is at the scene leading the rescuing team. According to Edi, his team had managed to rescue 200 people, however the remaining 100 were still unaccounted for.

Landslides occur frequently in Banjarnegara and often claim lives. (dic)