Rescuers were searching through wrecked houses and mounds of earth for 15 villagers still missing after days of rain triggered the landslips and flash floods on mountainous Java island over the weekend.

They were using excavators to hunt for survivors in more accessible areas, and in more remote places were digging through debris with their bare hands and shovels.

Disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said 47 people were confirmed dead, 15 were missing and 14 had suffered injuries.

Hundreds of homes were badly damaged, with some completely flattened.

He said a La Nina weather system, which typically causes unseasonably heavy rains, could have contributed to the flooding.

Java, which should be entering the dry season, has been hit by torrential downpours in recent weeks.

"This June there's still heavy rainfall which is causing floods and landslides," Mr Nugroho said, warning La Nina was set to strengthen in the coming months, increasing the risk of disasters.

Indonesia and other parts of Asia had been affected by a strong El Nino, which brings drought and sizzling temperatures.

La Nina often follows an El Nino phenomenon.

Mr Nugroho also blamed inadequate preparations, saying his agency had warned local authorities that heavy rains were coming but it was not clear if they had taken action.

Evacuation centres, equipped with temporary shelters and kitchens, have been set up near the disaster zones.

source: http://www.abc.net.au

Flash flooding and landslides in Indonesia have killed 35 people and left more than two dozen others missing, officials say, with mud avalanches burying people inside their homes.

Torrential rain since Saturday has triggered serious flooding across Central Java, with thousands of homes inundated, said disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho.

"The number of casualties from floods and landslides in Central Java is 35 people dead, 25 people missing and 14 injured," Mr Sutopo said in a statement.

Footage aired by local broadcasters showed villagers sitting on their roofs to escape the rising water, their cars and homes submerged in brown water.

Areas prone to landslides in the densely-populated province were the worst hit, with drivers swept off roads and dozens of homes destroyed by fast-moving walls of mud, rock and water.

In one district, five people were buried in their homes as a landslide swept through the village. In another, nine people were killed as they tried to clear rubble from a road.

"Suddenly a huge landslide struck the cars and people on the street. Nine bodies were retrieved," Mr Sutopo said in a statement.

Search and rescue crews are combing villages for missing people, Mr Sutopo added.

Temporary shelters have been erected to help those evacuated from the disaster zone.

Landslides are not uncommon in Indonesia.

Last month, 15 students holidaying at a popular tourist spot in western Indonesia were killed when a landslide swept through their camp ground.

source: abc.net.au