Jakarta

At least five people were killed and several others reported missing after a massive garbage mound collapsed at Indonesia’s largest landfill following heavy overnight rain, officials said on Monday.

The incident occurred at the Bantargebang Integrated Waste Treatment Facility in Bekasi, located on the outskirts of Jakarta.

More than 300 rescuers were deployed late Sunday to the sprawling landfill, including personnel from the police, military and volunteer groups. Rescue teams used heavy machinery and sniffer dogs to search for victims buried under the debris.

Desiana Kartika Bahari, head of Jakarta’s Search and Rescue Office, said the victims included two garbage truck drivers and two food stall vendors who were working or resting near the landfill when the collapse occurred. Four people managed to escape the disaster.

Rescue teams were still searching for at least three people reported missing.

“We have not ruled out the possibility of more victims. We are still gathering data to confirm how many vehicles and workers were trapped beneath the debris,” Bahari said.

Images released by the National Search and Rescue Agency (Indonesia) showed excavators digging through heaps of collapsed waste, which also buried several garbage trucks and small roadside food stalls.

Abdul Muhari, spokesperson for the National Disaster Management Agency (Indonesia), urged strict safety measures during the rescue operation, warning that additional rainfall forecast for the coming days could trigger further ground movement.

The tragedy has renewed scrutiny of the Bantargebang landfill, which handles most of the household waste generated across the greater Jakarta metropolitan region and has long faced concerns about exceeding its capacity.

Indonesia has been attempting to overhaul its waste management system in recent years. Late last year, the government announced a plan to clear the landfill within two years through a waste-to-energy project aimed at reducing dependence on open dumping.

Similar incidents have occurred in the region. In January, a landfill collapse in the Philippines killed at least four people and left dozens missing.

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A major disaster also struck in 2005 near Bandung in West Java, when heavy rain triggered a garbage landslide that killed 31 people and buried dozens of homes.