As heavy rains continue to trigger devastating soil shifts across Indonesia's mountainous regions, the latest disaster in West Java unfolded at approximately 02:00 WIB on January 24, when a sudden torrent of earth and water swept down the slopes of Mount Burangrang, according to local outless Kompas. A massive surge struck Kampung Babakan in Pasirlangu Village while residents were asleep, instantly burying around 30 homes under a heavy layer of debris.
In response, a joint rescue mission involving the national search and rescue agency, the military, and local volunteers was immediately deployed to the site. These teams are currently scouring a vast disaster zone covering 30 hectares, which stretches 2,000 metres from the mountain crown to the base of the slide. Operations are heavily restricted by persistent rain and thick, unstable mud that makes movement treacherous for recovery workers. To ensure public safety, officials have evacuated the remaining population to the local village office, as the hillside remains highly unstable.
Kompas also reports that by January 25, the latest figures confirm that 113 residents from 34 households have been directly impacted by the catastrophe. Recovery teams discovered two more victims on January 25 morning, bringing the confirmed death toll to 10. Meanwhile, roughly 80 people remain missing and are feared trapped beneath the saturated earth.
The search continues under difficult conditions as the threat of secondary landslides persists. This tragedy highlights the extreme vulnerability of Indonesian hillside settlements during the rainy season, where high-intensity precipitation frequently transforms volcanic soil into lethal mudflows.
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