16 killed in Indonesia landslides, nine missing

Two landslides triggered by heavy rains have killed at least 16 people and left nine others missing on Indonesia's Sumatra island, officials said Sunday.

The National Disaster Management Agency said 11 bodies were recovered and six others were injured in a landslide in Agam district in West Sumatra province early Sunday, and nine people were thought to be still buried in the debris.

Three children were among the dead from the landslide that covered 15 houses, agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho told AFP in a text message.

Separately a landslide caused by heavy rains late Saturday killed five workers at a drilling site belonging to PT Pertamina Geothermal Energy in Kerinci district in Jambi province, the company said in a statement.

Floods and landslides are common in Indonesia, which is prone to frequent periods of heavy rain.

The capital Jakarta was flooded this month following extreme rains that caused 32 deaths and at its peak forced nearly 46,000 people to flee their homes, officials said.