JAKARTA, May 31 – The number of casualties of landslides at a quarry in Indonesia’s West Java province increased to 14, and 11 others are still missing, an official said on Saturday.

Search for the missing victims after the landslides on Friday in the Gunung Kuda mine located in Bobos village of Cirebon Regency is ongoing, said Hadi Rahmat Hardjasasmita, spokesperson for the Disaster Management and Mitigation Agency of West Java province.

“The number of casualties reached 14, and the number of persons being buried is predicted to be eleven,” he told Xinhua.

The search operation also involved soldiers, policemen, the personnel of the local Disaster Management and Mitigation Agency, and those from other government institutions.

“However, large amounts of landslide materials and worries about further landslides during the evacuation are challenging the operation,” he said.

The authorities in the province had warned the firm operating in the mine of violating technical procedures in mining methods, said Vivi Silvia C., a press officer at the Administration Office of West Java province.

A state of emergency status has been applied after the disaster, she told Xinhua.

XINHUA