37 dead as landslide buries bus

A rain-triggered landslide smashed into a bus on Indonesia’s Sumatra island, killing at least 37 passengers and leaving 6 others buried under tons of mud, officials said today.

Scores of rescue workers were digging with spades and hoes to try and unearth survivors from the bus, which was almost entirely covered by the landslide, said police Sgt. Satria Dinata.

The bus was hit late yesterday as it travelled from Medan, the capital of North Sumatra province, from the town of Pasaman during a heavy rainstorm, Dinata said.

Rescuers had recovered 37 bodies from the scene, said Sgt. Ronnie Hamdani. Six other people were still buried, he said, adding 14 were injured.

Police earlier said 12 passengers has been killed and 16 were still buried. The apparent discrepancy was the result of communication difficulties in the remote region, Hamdani said.

Medan is located about 900 miles north-west of the capital, Jakarta.

Rampant deforestation and a lengthy rainy season cause dozens of landslides and flash floods each year in Indonesia.

Last month, a landslide in South Sulawesi killed 30 people, and 200 people died in November when a flash flood hit the Bukit Lawang resort in North Sumatra.