Indonesian media are reporting that 16 people have been killed and others are missing in landslides in the Pekalongan region in the centre of the Indonesian island of Java.

So far, 16 bodies have been recovered from the landslides that occurred in the area after heavy rains yesterday,’ local Metro TV quoted Pekalongan district police chief Doni Prakoso as saying.

We are working with the Indonesian National Army (TNI), civil society, local government and volunteers to search for more victims,’ he added.

Heavy rains often cause flooding and mudslides that lead to loss of homes and lives in several Indonesian islands, particularly in the province of West Sumatra, which is dominated by active volcanoes and mountainous rainforests.