More than 75 people are feared dead following landslides in western Indonesia on Wednesday.
Days of torrential rain triggered the landslides, which struck villages on the main island of Java.
Search and rescue chief Eko Prayitno told The Associated Press that blocked roads were hampering the rescue effort because authorities were having trouble bringing in heavy-lifting equipment.
In Karanganyar district, 61 people were reportedly buried by a landslide. The group had just gathered for dinner to celebrate the successful clean up of a mud-covered home, said Prayitno.
In nearby Wonogiri, 17 people are believed to have died after the area was hit with 12 hours of non-stop rain.
Reuters is reporting that as many as 81 people are dead or missing following the landslides.
Landslides are common in Indonesia because of frequent tropical downpours. Still, the magnitude of Wednesday's disaster came as a shock to many.
"The landslides took us by surprise," Julianto, an official with the provincial government, told Reuters.
"This is the first time in the last 25 years anything of this scale occurred here in Central Java."
Following the disaster, thousands have been forced to seek shelter after their homes were destroyed, reports the BBC.The landslides occurred as mourners gathered more than 2,000 kilometres away, on neighbouring Sumatra island, to mark the third anniversary of the Asian tsunami.
The tsunami killed an estimated 230,000 people in a dozen nations.
With files from The Associated Press
