At least 30 people they lost their lives in landslide on an isolated Indonesian island this week, a disaster agency official said today, adding that searches were continuing for missing residents.

After the landslide that happened on Monday at Shirazan Island In the Natuna region of Indonesia, six days of torrential rain followed, as a result of which many houses in a village were buried in mud. Shirazan is about 80 kilometers from the island of Borneo.

The head of the disaster management agency Suharyarto said at a press conference that the lifeguards they continue to search for 24 people who are still missing.

The authorities will erect electricity poles as soon as the power is restored road connection with the isolated area, he said, adding that more than 1,200 residents had left their homes and would be relocated to flatter areas with “low risk of disaster”.

Patli Muhammad, a spokesman for the local government, told AFP that nine bodies were found in the rubble of houses in the village of Pangalan. He explained that the bad ones meteorological conditions they initially slowed search and rescue operations but the weather has since improved and lines of communication are gradually being restored.

Landslides are common during the rainy season in Indonesia, where the situation is sometimes worsened by deforestation and continuous torrential rains that cause flooding in many areas.