Pictures and video from the national disaster mitigation agency (BNPB) showed landslides cascading through forested areas and dumping mud and debris on houses on the remote Serasan island.
Bits of metal from torn-off roofs and fallen trees were also visible following the disaster on Monday, Aljazeera reported.
The location of the landslide and continued rain were complicating search and rescue efforts, the BNPB said on Twitter. Communications had also been cut off, it said.
The Natuna Search and Rescue Agency’s head, Abdul Rahman, told the AFP news agency that 15 people had been confirmed dead and 50 were missing.
A 60-person search and rescue team left for the island on Monday afternoon, with the journey expected to take 7 to 8 hours by fast boat.
Indonesia is prone to landslides during the rainy season, aggravated in some places by deforestation, and prolonged torrential rain has caused flooding in different areas of the archipelago nation.
Experts say the country’s weather-related disasters are probably being made worse by climate change.
MP/PR