Indonesian rescuers have recovered the bodies of at least 17 people who were swept away in flash floods or buried under tons of mud and rocks that hit hilly villages on the country’s main island of Java.

In December, a landslide and flash floods in Sukabumi, West Java, killed 12 people, destroyed dozens of homes and forced evacuations in vulnerable areas. Villagers described the floods as "unprecedented" with rapid water currents sweeping through settlements.

Indonesian rescuers on Wednesday were searching for 13 people missing after a landslide in Central Java province which killed at least 17 people, an official said. Torrential rain in the city of Pekalongan in Central Java province caused a landslide on Tuesday and heavy rain and fog were hindering rescue efforts.

Hundreds of rescuers were searching through thick mud and debris to find survivors Wednesday after a rain-triggered landslide in Indonesia killed at least 19 people and left seven missing.

A landslide in Indonesia's Central Java area of Pekalongan killed 16 people, Bergas Caturasi, an official at the country's regional disaster mitigation agency, said on Tuesday. (Reporting by Stanley Widianto;