'€œWe saw how the landslide came down like a wave sweeping our neighbors'€™ houses. We hear their screams, but there'€™s nothing we can do to help them; it happened so fast,'€ said 45-year-old Mahmudi, recalling the landslide that hit a hamlet in the upland area of Banjarnegara regency in Central Java.

Mahmudi and his family live only a few hundred meters from the affected area, Jemblung hamlet in Sampang, Karangkobar district. '€œWe are afraid of being struck by the same disaster; that'€™s why we left our homes to take refuge,'€ Mahmudi said.

Hundreds of villagers surrounding the disaster area, where dozens of houses were swallowed by Friday evening'€™s landslide, have fled their homes in fear of more landslides. Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo has declared a state of emergency in Banjarnegara for the next three months.

The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) recorded that at least 815 people left their homes to take refuge on Sunday. The refugees were given shelter at the Karangkobar village hall, the high school complex, the administration office and in a number of residences.

Of the around 300 people living in the affected area, 69 are still unaccounted for, with 39 dead bodies having been found as of Sunday.

President Joko '€œJokowi'€ Widodo has ordered search and rescue personnel to do their best in continuing the search efforts for missing people and in evacuating survivors.

'€œThe most important is the evacuation. We need to complete the evacuation first, before dealing with other matters,'€ Jokowi said, as quoted by Antara news agency.

The President and First Lady Iriana visited the disaster area on Sunday afternoon.

BNPB chief Syamsul Maarif said that despite the small possibility of finding survivors at this point, search and rescue personnel continued their work on Sunday after heavy rain on Saturday halted their efforts.

'€œThere'€™s little probability there will be survivors to find; the houses were literally flattened. However, we are still hoping to find them,'€ he said.

BNPB preliminary data recorded that 35 houses were buried and heavily damaged, a mosque was buried, a kilometer-long stretch of a local river was covered in debris and eight hectares of paddy field and five hectares of plantation were ruined.

As many as 499 soldiers have been deployed to evacuate the landslide victims. They came from several units, including from a special forces regiment. The soldiers have been in the disaster area since Saturday, working hand-in-hand with villagers in the effort.

Besides helping villagers to find the victims, the military personnel also erected a giant tent to use as a soup kitchen and clinic.

The BNPB has advised residents around the area to leave because of bad weather and unstable ground.

Social Affairs Minister Khofifah Indar Parawansa, who has been in the disaster area since Saturday, said that her office was working with the regency and provincial administrations, as well as the BNPB and the Indonesian Red Cross, to cater to the evacuees.

'€œWe are working to coordinate the management well,'€ she said.

According to Khofifah, the ministry and the provincial administrations have covered the food needs of the evacuees.

'€œWhat we still need for them are clothing, blankets and medicines. Clothes are really needed because they need to change,'€ she said.

Friday'€™s landslide almost completely covered Jemblung hamlet in debris, cutting off access to Banjarnegara from neighboring areas located to the east of the regency, including Dieng, Wonosobo and Semarang.

The Public Works and Public Housing Ministry has deployed 17 pieces of heavy equipment, including excavators, bulldozers and trucks, to help clear an access road through the debris.

Among the most crucial work to be done is to clear a 500-meter section of the Banjarnegara-Karangkobar road to allow heavy equipment to reach the affected area.

Public Works and Public Housing Minister Basuki Hadimuljono said that according to the Yogyakarta-based Gajah Mada University geology team, Banjarnegara was among the areas most vulnerable to geological disasters and in need of a proper early warning system and disaster campaign.

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