Indonesia landslides leave several dead

Landslides and flash-floods are common in Indonesia

At least 11 people have died and several others have been injured in two separate landslides in western Indonesia, officials have said.

In Agam district, in West Sumatra province, 15 houses were buried beneath mud and rocks, killing seven.

Hundreds of people were forced to flee their homes on the mountainside.

In the neighbouring province of Jambi, heavy rain triggered a landslide in a drilling field owned by a state-run energy company.

In a statement, PT Pertamina Geothermal Energy said that four of its workers had died, one remained missing and five had been injured.

Sixty workers survived the landslide, the firm said.

Flash-floods and landslides are common in Indonesia, triggered by seasonal downpours.

Many in the chain of 17,000 islands live in mountainous areas or near fertile flood plains.

Heavy rain in the capital Jakarta this month caused 32 deaths and, at its peak, forced nearly 46,000 people to flee their inundated homes.