NINETEEN BODIES RECOVERED FROM W JAVA LANDSLIDE SO FAR

Bandung, Feb 25 (ANTARA) - Rescue workers at the site of the landslide that hit the Dewata tea plantation in Bandung district last Tuesday (Feb 23) have until Thursday been able to recover 19 bodies from the landslide mud.

"Up till now, we have found the bodies of 19 victims. Members of their families recognized the bodies so they could be buried fast," Kusnadi, a local security officer, said here on Thursday.

Kusnadi said the rescue team which consisted of personnel from the National Military, National Police, and volunteers had been working on the entire area of the landslide.

"We also have heavy tools to assist them in finding the victims. The team is now focusing its searches on several spots where it believes bodies are buried," he said.

As to the total number of people buried by the landslide, Kusnadi said the data was still changing while hundreds of survivors had been evacuated to a warehouse complex located in the tea plantation area.