Emergency response efforts are complicated by severe weather and road damage caused by disasters.
At least 15 people have been killed and two are missing after a landslide hit central Indonesia, local authorities said.
At least 17 victims of a landslide that hit Tana Toraja in South Sulawesi province on Saturday night have been evacuated, local disaster agency chief Sulaiman Maila announced on Sunday.
“Two of them survived, but the remaining 15 sadly passed away,” Meira told AFP news agency.
“Residents have reported that two people are still missing, possibly buried under the debris of the landslide,” he said, adding that rescue efforts were continuing.
He added that Tana Toraja and surrounding areas have been experiencing heavy rains for the past week.
Abdul Muhari, spokesperson for the country's Disaster Mitigation Agency, said in a statement that landslides triggered by heavy rains affected two villages in the region and destroyed four houses.
The affected area is hilly and difficult for rescue teams to reach. Photos provided by authorities showed rescue workers dragging survivors through the rubble, with the house reduced to only wood and concrete slabs.
Mud fell from the surrounding hills onto four houses in Tana Toraja shortly before midnight Saturday, burying part of the village, local police chief Gunardi Mundu said. According to him, a family gathering was being held at one of the residences when the disaster occurred.
Indonesia's rainy season begins in January, and the Japan Meteorological Agency predicts it will peak during the first quarter of 2024.
A spokesperson for the Disaster Mitigation Agency said bad weather and damaged roads in the affected areas made emergency response difficult and made it difficult for victims to evacuate by vehicle.
Indonesia's Tempo newspaper reported that rescue teams urgently needed heavy equipment to clear the road for ambulances to evacuate the victims.
The mountainous region of Tana Toraja is located in the center of Sulawesi, approximately 300 km (196 miles) from the provincial capital Makassar.
Floods and landslides killed at least 26 people on the Indonesian island of Sumatra last month, and heavy rains destroyed hundreds of homes and displaced thousands.