As many as 14 villages in Central Java province were hit Sunday after two days of heavy monsoonal rain, Ani, government spokesman in the town of Purworejo, said. Like many Indonesians she uses one name.
In the village of Pacekelen, 14 people were buried alive, she said.
"We fear the death toll could rise as it is still raining hard," she said.
Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid visited the worst affected district of Bagelan, Ariyjo, a member of an emergency taskforce at the local council office, said.
Last week, landslides killed 36 people in the same region, some 450 kilometers (279 miles) from Jakarta.
Ani said police and army personnel were working with local people to find survivors. Ten people are still missing.
In addition to the landslides, incessant rains since Friday have also caused floods in the region and hampered rescue efforts.
At least 25 villages are under one meter (3.3 feet) of water in Butuh district, Ariyjo said.
Rising waters left railroads submerged in the north of the region, The Jakarta Post newspaper reported.
Landslides in Indonesia are frequently triggered by heavy tropical rains in areas where hillsides have been weakened by deforestation.
Meanwhile, workers in Jakarta have filled 50,000 sandbags and dredged waste from 580 kilometers (360 miles) of canals and streams to prevent floods in the capital, the Post said.
Waterways regularly burst their banks and inundate nearby slums after monsoon rains in the low-lying city.
(AP)