TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The search and rescue team on Wednesday decided to temporarily suspend the search for victims of a landslide in Garehong Village in Sukabumi, West Java due to extreme rains that might jeopardize the evacuation team.

The search will resume tomorrow, January 3.

So far, rescuers have evacuated 15 bodies. "Two were evacuated on the first day and 13 were evacuated in the second day," Col. Inf. M Hasan said in Sukabumi, Wednesday, January 2.

He said that 20 people are still missing and the rescuers hope they can find them today.

Read also: Sukabumi Landslide, 15 Dead Victims Found

A landslide triggered by heavy rains struck Kampung Cigarehong, Sukabumi Regency on December 31 at around 17:00 of the New Year's Eve.

Adrin Tohari, landslide expert and researcher from LIPI Bandung's Geotechnology Research Center, said the avalanche was a type of glide which turned into flow because the soil was very saturated with water due to heavy rain.

"The flow rate of the avalanche can reach 50 kilometers per hour."

Meanwhile, I Made Oka from the Jakarta Search and Rescue team said that so far 63 people have been found safe and sound, three injured, 15 dead, while 20 others still pronounced missing.

ANTARA | ANWAR SISWADI | DEDEN ABDUL AZIS