Thousands of search and rescue team workers had to face muddy and slippery terrain and bad weather on Monday as efforts continued to find dozens of missing victims in the landslide that hit Jemblung hamlet in Banjarnegara regency in Central Java.

Search work was halted again at 1 p.m. for the rest of the day on Monday due to rain. According to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), 12 more bodies were found on Monday, increasing the death toll to 51 with 57 people still missing. Of the found dead bodies, eight remain unidentified.

Local authorities have prepared burial grounds for the victims at the Sampang Public Cemetery. Nine victims have been buried by their families as of Monday.

In addition to difficult terrain and bad weather, search workers also had to overcome the stench of decaying bodies on the third day.

'€œThe whole field is wet. The soil slumps when stepped on. It'€™s hard enough to locate a victim, but we also have to pull bodies out that were stuck in the mud. It takes a long time,'€ said Endro Risbiyanto, one of the volunteer coordinators.

Around 2,000 personnel and volunteers from various government agencies, military and community groups have participated in the evacuation. Sniffer dogs were also deployed to trace victims suspected to be still buried under the landslide.

Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo promised that the search and rescue effort would continue until all victims were found.

'€œWe expect that by Dec. 21, all the victims will have been found,'€ the governor, who has declared emergency status in the regency, said.

Workers have also opened important access roads to the affected area with the help of 19 pieces of heavy equipment, including excavators and bulldozers, but the BNPB has yet to deploy the equipment to ground zero due to unstable soil.

Heavy rains have caused smaller landslides in several Banjarnegara highland areas in addition to the one that struck Jemblung hamlet in Sampang, Karangkobar district, on Friday evening.

As many as 108 villagers were buried when the side of a 300 meter high hill collapsed and covered their houses. Eight people have been treated at the Banjarnegara State Hospital for serious injuries, while 11 are being treated at local health centers for minor injuries.

By any means: Search and rescue workers use heavy machinery to search for victims of a landslide in Jemblung village, Banjarnegara, Central Java on Monday. They dug through mud with shovels and their bare hands for a third day in the hunt for dozens of people still missing after a landslide engulfed a village, as the death toll rose to 51. AFP/Dida Nuswantara

According to official data, the hamlet comprised 103 houses with a total population amounting to 320 people. Fifty-three of the houses, along with their occupants, were buried during Friday'€™s landslide disaster, while many of the other houses were severely damaged.

Following the disaster, hundreds of villagers from the surrounding areas have fled their homes in fear of more landslides. Central Java provincial administration has declared a state of emergency in Banjarnegara for the next three months.

The displaced were given shelter at village halls, schools, administration offices, houses of worship and in a number of residences.

'€œWhat we need most is baby food, clothes, including underwear, and blankets. Medicines are also needed. We still have an adequate supply of staple food and instant noodles,'€ Banjarnegara Deputy Regent Hadi Supeno said.

Throughout the year, landslides have claimed the lives of at least 248 people across the archipelago, according to BNPB data.

BNPB spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho pointed out that landslides occurred every year in Indonesia, where around 40.9 million people were at risk, adding that population increases, degradation of the environment and more extreme rainfall had increased the risk of landslides.

Many areas in West Java, Central Java and East Java were vulnerable to landslides, among others: Bogor, Sukabumi, Cianjur, Garut, Bandung and Tasikmalaya in West Java; Purbalingga, Banjarnegara, Karanganyar, Wonosobo, Temanggung, Cilacap, Grobogan, Pemalang, Brebes and Pekalongan in Central Java; and Pacitan, Ponorogo, Malang and Jember in East Java.

In Banjarnegara, of all of its 20 districts, only three are deemed safe from landslides.