Indonesia dump collapse kills 3, over 20 missing

BEKASI, Indonesia, Sep 8 (Reuters) A garbage dump collapsed on about 30 people searching for recyclable items near the Indonesian capital today, killing at least three people, a police official said.

Rescuers were searching for 22 others still believed to be buried at the Bantar Gebang dump in Bekasi, east of Jakarta.

Rukmana, a police official from Bantar Gebang, estimated that 30 people may have been buried. ''Police have found eight people, three dead and five injured,'' the official said by telephone.

Bantar Gebang is the main rubbish dump for Jakarta and every day hundreds of people pick through the piles of garbage looking for plastic and other recyclable items that are then sold on to factories.

Warsa, who was sifting through the garbage when the collapse occurred, told Reuters 10 of his friends may still be buried.

''Suddenly it collapsed and my friend shouted 'watch out'.'' He said he escaped to a nearby river, but others were caught by the collapse.

''Some ran, some were dragged over, some were buried under garbage.'' Government data recently showed that the number of people living below the poverty line Indonesia rose to 39 million in March due to higher fuel and rice prices.

The poverty line is set at 152,847 rupiah per capita spending per month, or about 56 US cents a day.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has pledged to use an anticipated pick-up in the economy to tackle poverty, partly blamed for religious radicalism and fragile social stability in the country of 220 million people.

Reuters PB GC1238