At least 18 people killed in Indonesian landslides as rescue efforts continue to find more than 30 others missing

Rescue workers are continuing to search for 34 missing people after two separate landslides in two different regions on Indonesia's main island of Java killed at least 18 people.

The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (NDMA) said the death toll rose to at least 16 people after emergency crews recovered more bodies following the landslides that hit three villages in the Cilacap district of Central Java province.

More than 500 rescue personnel, including police and soldiers, supported by 22 excavators and 18 sniffer dogs, have been deployed in five devastated areas in Cilacap to search for seven villagers reportedly still missing as search efforts continued for a fifth day on Monday, according to the NDMA.

It added that a similar landslide struck Central Java's Banjarnegara district just before dusk on Saturday when tonnes of mud buried at least 30 houses, prompting more than 800 residents to flee to safety, some of them to even higher ground prone to further landslides.

Spokesman Abdul Muhari said that rescuers on Monday retrieved at least two bodies from devastated areas in Banjarnegara and were searching for 27 people reported missing, while local authorities struggled to evacuate dozens of residents who fled to vulnerable hills to safer government shelters.

An excavator works to remove mud and wood as dozens of rescue workers in high-viz clothing stand around the hole Heavy machinery was used at Cibeunying village to try and reach those trapped under the rubble. 

The NDMA was conducting a weather modification operation using an aircraft with a total of 3,000 kilograms of seeding material for the operation since Sunday "to ensure weather conditions remain stable to support more effective search efforts" in both Cilacap and Banjarnegara districts, Mr Muhari said.

Cloud seeding involves dispersing particles into clouds to create precipitation.

Mr Muhari said that the aim of modifying the weather was to redirect the rain elsewhere and keep the search operation free of downpours, which could hamper the search.

Seasonal downpours cause frequent landslides and floods in Indonesia, a chain of 17,000 islands where millions of people live in mountainous areas or in fertile flood plains.