JAKARTA: Rescuers in Indonesia are searching the rubble of collapsed buildings for survivors after a powerful earthquake, with the toll expected to rise.

At least 49 people are confirmed dead and thousands of homes ruined after the 7.0-magnitude quake hit yesterday. More than 100 people are in hospital and dozens are still missing. Damaged roads and poor weather are hampering efforts to get heavy rescue equipment to the worst-hit areas in the West Javan district of Cianjur.

At least 40 people remained missing in the village of Cikangkareng after a landslide buried a row of homes. Police, military personnel and villagers are using their bare hands to try to reach survivors buried in the rubble. “You can’t see the roofs at all, everything is completely buried. The chances of anyone surviving are very, very small” said Priyadi Kardono, spokesman for the National Disaster Mitigation Agency. “

More than 18,000 homes across West Java province have been damaged, about 9,000 seriously, Kardono said. At least 110 people have been hospitalised with 10 in a critical condition, he added.

Garut and Tasikmalaya districts, along with Cianjur, were among the worst hit.