JAKARTA, Jan. 29 (Xinhua) -- Indonesia's joint search and rescue teams recovered three more bodies on Thursday, the sixth day of operations following a landslide in Cisarua, West Java province, bringing the total number of deaths to 56, the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) said.
"A total of 56 body bags have been handed over to the Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) team for the identification process," said Abdul Muhari, head of BNPB's Center for Disaster Data, Information and Communication, in a statement.
Of those recovered, 40 victims have been identified and returned to their families, Muhari added.
Search and rescue teams are continuing efforts to locate 24 people believed to remain missing. The operation involves at least 15 excavators, sniffer dogs and more than 3,000 personnel, despite intermittent rainfall in the affected area.
The massive landslide struck Cisarua in the early hours of Jan. 24, after prolonged heavy rains triggered the collapse of a hillside, burying parts of a residential area. ■
