Landslide at tea plantation kills dozens

JAKARTA, Feb. 24 (UPI) -- A landslide at a tea plantation in Indonesia's West Java province killed at least 72 people, disaster officials said.

Sofyan Nataprawira, head of Bandung district's disaster management and refugee coordinating agency, said five victims have been extracted from Tuesday's landslide, but 67 others remained buried, the Antara news agency reported.

Nataprawira said rescuers had difficulty reaching the Dewata tea plantation in Tenjolaya because the slide occurred between the plantation and forests, making deployment of heavy machinery complicated.

The landslide overran nearly all parts of the plantation, including the offices, the report said.

"We have difficulty contacting the authorities due to the absence of cellular phone signals," Nataprawira said.

Bandung district and other parts of West Java have been belted by heavy rains during the past two months, officials said. Landslides had occurred in Bandung district, and in the cities of Bogor and Garut.

Source: United Press International (UPI).
Link: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/International/2010/02/24/Landslide-at-tea-plantation-kills-dozens/UPI-46201267026955/.