A landslide destroyed a village in Indonesia, killing at least 11 people, an official said on Saturday (December 13), as rescuers used their bare hands to search through the debris for 108 missing people.

A rescue team carry away a cow after a landslide at Jemblung village in Banjarnegara, Central Java province, on December 13, 2014. [Photo/DIDA NUSWANTARA]

Hundreds have been evacuated from around Jemblung in Banjarnegara, central Java, about 450 km (280 miles) from the capital, Jakarta, where media pictures showed a flood of mud and water cascading down a wooded mountainside. The landslide hit on Friday (December 12) night.

Local resident from a nearby village said he heard loud sounds like an explosion before the landslide occurred.

"About 5 to 5.30 pm we heard a loud sound from Telaga Lele hill and it sounded like an explosion. We then saw trees flying and falling down," said Imam.

Landslides and mudslides are common in Indonesia during the monsoon season, which usually runs from October until April.

Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesman for the National Disaster Mitigation Agency, said at least 11 people had been killed and 379 people from the surrounding areas had been taken to temporary shelters.

"Jemblung village was the most affected," he said in a statement. "Rescuers are still trying to find more victims. The challenge is that the evacuation route is also damaged by the landslide."

The search and rescue team, which included police, military and local volunteers, were using their bare hands to search for people and clear the area but further rain was making the search difficult.

Delaying rescue efforts was a lack of heavy equipment, Nugroho added, while media showed power lines and houses buried under the mud.

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