Six people were killed and 18 were missing on Monday after they were buried in a landslide caused by heavy rain on Indonesia's Java island, a disaster official said.

"Heavy rains early this morning in West Bandung district triggered a landslide," national disaster management agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said.

"Six people were found dead and 18 people are still buried," he said, adding that nine houses were also destroyed.

Floods and landslides are common in Indonesia, which is prone to frequent bursts of heavy rain.