Landslides claim four lives in Indonesia

JAKARTA, Dec 09 (Xinhua): Four people were killed and as many as 236 villagers were forced to flee home as landslides and floods struck East Java province of western Indonesia, disaster agency official said on Sunday.

The landslides occurred after soils of a hill slid down and hit a house, where the four were staying, situated in Sidomulyo village of Kebonagung sub-district in Pacitan district, said Rahmat Salasa, official of the disaster management and mitigation agency in Pacitan district.

"All the fours, most of them elderly, were dead," he told Xinhua over phone from Pacitan district.

All the corpses have been evacuated, he added.

Heavy downpours have triggered floods in Kebonagung district with the height of up to 50 centimeters, forcing over 200 local villagers to evacuate from home to safer grounds, said Rahmat.

Indonesia has been frequently hit by landslides, floods and flash floods when heavy rains pour down.