People gathered near the site in Java's West Bandung region, desperately awaiting news of their loved ones as rescuers, who fear another landslide, scoured the unstable area.

The flow of soil and debris barrelled through the village of Pasirlangu early on Saturday, burying residential areas and forcing dozens to evacuate their homes.

"It's impossible that they are still alive. I just want their bodies to be found," said Aep Saepudin, who has been coming to the village daily for updates about his 11 family members, including his sister, who are missing.

"My heart aches. I feel so sad seeing my older sister like that (buried by the landslide)," he told AFP.

Abdul Muhari, a spokesman for the national disaster agency, confirmed on Monday that at least 17 people were killed.

The number of people missing was later revised down to around 46 from an earlier figure of 73, local search and rescue head Ade Dian Permana told a news conference.

"This is based on the report from the village head," Ade said.

He also said rescuers had handed over nine body bags to authorities for identification.

Indonesia's military said on Monday that four Marines were among those confirmed dead and 19 remained missing.

The Marines had been training before a deployment to Indonesia's border with Papua New Guinea, the navy's chief of staff Muhammad Ali told local media.

More than 50 houses were severely damaged by the landslide, which also displaced more than 650 people, according to the local disaster agency.

Dozens of rescuers were searching at the foot of Mount Burangrang under dark rain clouds on Monday, an AFP reporter saw.

They dug manually and used heavy equipment, but said they had to tread carefully for fear of another landslide due to the unstable ground and bad weather.

"What we worry about most is the risk of subsequent (landslides). Sometimes when we're in the operation, we aren't focusing on the slopes that still have the potential for landslides," rescuer Rifaldi Ashabi, 25, told AFP.

- 'Should be forested' -

Adar, one of the village residents who only provided one name, recalled the moment torrents of earth came crashing into the bedroom he shares with his grandchild.

"My grandchild and I were buried up to here," he said, pointing to his waist, tears running down his cheeks.

The 63-year-old goat farmer said he managed to dig himself out and escape by kicking down a wall.

"I dug (through the mud) and then my grandchild and I immediately got out," he told AFP outside his wrecked home, a half-buried car parked out front.

The disaster comes after the government pointed to the role forest loss played in flooding and landslides on Sumatra island late last year, which killed around 1,200 people and displaced more than 240,000.

West Java's governor Dedi Mulyadi blamed Saturday's disaster on the sprawling plantations around Pasirlangu, mostly used to grow vegetables, and pledged to relocate affected residents.

"This area should be forested. Local residents should be relocated because the potential for landslide is high," Dedi said in a statement on Saturday.

Forests help absorb rainfall and stabilise the ground held by their roots, while their absence makes areas more prone to flash flooding and landslides, David Gaveau, founder of conservation start-up The TreeMap, told AFP in December.

Floods and landslides are common across the vast archipelago during the rainy season, which typically runs from October to March.