Indonesian rescuers dig for people buried in landslide

Soldiers and police officers help residents to cross a flooded road in Malaka Tengah, East Nusa Tenggara province, Indonesia (AP)

Rescuers in remote eastern Indonesia are digging through the debris of a landslide in search of as many as 21 people believed to be buried in one of several disasters brought on by severe weather in the South East Asian nation and neighbouring East Timor.

More than a dozen villages were affected by Sunday’s landslide on Lembata island, which was triggered when torrential rains caused solidified lava from an eruption in November to tumble down the slopes of Ili Lewotolok volcano.