Indonesia landslide death toll rises to 49, agency says

The death toll from a landslide in Indonesia's West Java province has increased to 49, according to Basarnas, the main rescue agency, which reported the update on Saturday. There are still 15 individuals unaccounted for. In addition, the navy announced on Tuesday that 23 soldiers lost their lives while they were on border patrol training. The landslide occurred on January 24 in Pasir Langu village, triggered by heavy rainfall. This incident follows a series of floods and landslides caused by a cyclone on the island of Sumatra late last year, which resulted in 1,200 fatalities and displaced over one million people. The rescue agency has extended its emergency response period for another seven days, until February 6. On Wednesday, a parliamentary panel cut Basarnas's funding, raising concerns given the many disasters the agency must manage.