At least four people have been killed and nine others are missing after a landslide buried homes on Indonesia’s main island of Java, according to an official.

A landslide triggered by a pipeline explosion on Tuesday engulfed eight homes and trapped villagers in a West Java village.

The pipeline, belonging to a geothermal project in the area, had been damaged in a previous landslide caused by days of torrential rain.

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“The search for victims of the landslide continues,” National Disaster Management Agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said.

“More than 100 residents, fearing further landslides, had taken refuge in a village hall.”

Landslides are common in Indonesia, one of the world’s most natural disaster-prone nations.

In December 2014 up to 50 people died and others were missing after a landslide on the same island.

Heavy rain caused the landslide near Jemblung village in central Java.

The national disaster agency estimates about half the country’s 250 million population live in areas prone to landslides.

– with ABC