Landslides kill at least 15 in Indonesia after year of disasters

Rescue workers salvage buried motorbike after landslides hit Sirnaresmi village at Cisolok district in Sukabumi, West Java province, Indonesia, January 2, 2019 in this photo taken by Antara Foto. Antara Foto/M Agung Rajasa/ via REUTERS

JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesian rescue teams were searching for victims of a series of landslides that killed at least 15 people on New Year's Day, officials said, after a year of natural disasters killed thousands.

At least 20 people were missing after landslides during heavy rain buried 30 houses in Sukabumi regency, West Java.

"Loose soil is a danger to rescue teams that are working in the field," said disaster mitigation agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho.

Villagers carry their belongings after landslides hit Sirnaresmi at Cisolok district in Sukabumi, West Java province, Indonesia, January 2, 2019 in this photo taken by Antara Foto. Antara Foto/M Agung Rajasa/ via REUTERS

Heavy rain had forced rescuers to suspend the search on Tuesday.

Indonesia is a disaster-prone archipelago that in 2018 suffered its deadliest year in over a decade in a series of earthquakes and tsunamis in different regions killed more than 3,000 people.

An aerial view of Sirnaresmi village after being hit by landslides at Cisolok district in Sukabumi, West Java province, Indonesia, January 2, 2019 in this photo taken by Antara Foto. Antara Foto/M Agung Rajasa/ via REUTERS

(Reporting by Bernadette Christina Munthe; Writing by Kanupriya Kapoor; Editing by Nick Macfie)

An aerial view of Sirnaresmi village after being hit by landslides at Cisolok district in Sukabumi, West Java province, Indonesia, January 2, 2019 in this photo taken by Antara Foto. Antara Foto/M Agung Rajasa/ via REUTERS

Rescue workers carry a body bag containing the remains of a victim following landslides at Cisolok district in Sukabumi, West Java province, Indonesia, January 2, 2019 in this photo taken by Antara Foto. Antara Foto/M Agung Rajasa/ via REUTERS

Search and rescue teams gather for a briefing during a search effort to find victims from the landslide in Sukabumi, West Java Province, Indonesia January 1, 2019 in this picture obtained from social media. SEKOLAH RELAWAN/via REUTERS

Search and rescue teams gather for a briefing during a search effort to find victims from the landslide in Sukabumi, West Java Province, Indonesia January 1, 2019 in this picture obtained from social media. SEKOLAH RELAWAN/via REUTERS

Search and rescue teams are seen during a search effort to find victims from the landslide in Sukabumi, West Java Province, Indonesia January 1, 2019 in this picture obtained from social media. SEKOLAH RELAWAN/via REUTERS

A resident carries his belonging following landslides at Cisolok district in Sukabumi, West Java province, Indonesia, January 1, 2019. Antara Foto/M Agung Rajasa/via REUTERS

Residents carry their belongings following landslides at Cisolok district in Sukabumi, West Java province, Indonesia, January 1, 2019. Antara Foto/M Agung Rajasa/via REUTERS

Rescue workers carry a body bag containing remains of victims following a landslide at Cisolok district in Sukabumi, West Java province, Indonesia, January 1, 2019 in this photo taken by Antara Foto. Antara Foto/Nurul Ramadhan/ via REUTERS