Of the 42 people missing after a landslide in West Java, 19 were members of Indonesia’s elite marines.

The death toll from landslides in Indonesia on Saturday has risen to at least 17, officials said, as search-and-rescue operations continued for at least 42 people reported missing in West Java.

Heavy rains that began on Saturday hit a Marine training camp in the village of Pasilangu on the slopes of Mount Pulanlang and engulfed homes.

Indonesian Navy Chief of Staff Mohammad Ali told reporters on Monday that 19 of the 42 missing were members of Indonesia’s elite marines who were training for long-term operations on the border between Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.

So far, 17 people have been confirmed dead, according to Abdul Muhari, spokesman for the National Disaster Management Authority.

The Navy chief of staff also confirmed that four Marines were among the dead.

“Two nights of heavy rain triggered a slope collapse that buried their training area,” Ali said.

“It is difficult for heavy machinery to reach the site, the access roads are narrow and the ground remains unstable,” he noted.

Ad Dean Permana, head of the local search and rescue office, also told reporters that the ground “is still very unstable and mixed with water”, preventing further movement of the rescue team.

Yudhi Bramantyo, director of operations for the National Search and Rescue Agency, said rescuers were digging through mud, rocks and uprooted trees. He said the mud was up to eight meters (26 feet) high in some parts of the province.

Aep Saepudin, who visits the village every day to get updates on the status of the 11 family members including his missing sister, told AFP there was “no way they are still alive”.

“I just hope their bodies are found,” he said, adding, “My heart aches. It makes me sad to see my sister like that (buried by a landslide).”

The landslides severely damaged more than 50 houses and displaced more than 650 people, according to local disaster relief agencies.

Rescuers feared the risk of subsequent landslides as they continued to search for residents using heavy machinery and manual excavation, 25-year-old Rifaldi Ashabi told AFP.

“Sometimes, when we’re doing operations, we’re not paying attention to slopes where landslides are still possible,” Asabi said.

But West Java governor Dedi Mulyadi blamed the disaster on the plantations around Basilangu, which are mainly used to grow vegetables, and pledged in a statement on Saturday to resettle residents.