The death toll from landslides in Indonesia caused by heavy rains has risen to 22, with four people still missing.

Heavy rains in an area near the city of Pekalongan in Central Java triggered landslides on Monday, collapsing bridges and burying cars and houses in mud, Indonesian officials said today.

Mohammad Yulian, a local official in the neighbouring city of Semarang, said the death toll had risen to 22 and four people were still missing, noting that rescue teams were using heavy machinery to open roads to allow relief teams to arrive, and that some 200 rescue workers had been dispatched to join the effort.

Indonesia usually experiences landslides during the rainy season between November and April, but some weather-related disasters have occurred in the off-season in recent years.

In November, floods caused by heavy rains in western Indonesia killed 27 people.