Indonesia sends 150 rescuers to find missing as flash floods and landslides kill 21 in Sumatra
- Tons of mud, rocks and uprooted trees rolled down a mountain late on Friday, reaching a river that burst its banks and tore through villages in West Sumatra
- Over 75,000 people fled to safety and 20,000 homes were flooded up to the roof, with relief efforts hampered by power outages and blocked roads, officials said
The death toll from flash flooding and landslides on the Indonesian island of Sumatra has risen to 21, an official said on Sunday, with six people still missing.
Torrential rains on Thursday triggered the disaster in Pesisir Selatan regency in the West Sumatra province, with more than 75,000 people forced to evacuate.
“As of Sunday, 21 people were found dead and six people remained missing,” Fajar Sukma, an official from West Sumatra disaster mitigation agency, said by phone.
A village located on a hillside in the Sutera subdistrict was struck hard, with around 200 families in the area left isolated after a landslide followed by flash flooding, Fajar said.
A local official had earlier put the death toll at 18, with five missing. Indonesia’s rescue agency was hunting for the missing, with 150 rescuers from various disaster organisations drafted into the effort.
Tons of mud, rocks and uprooted trees rolled down a mountain late on Friday, reaching a river that burst its banks and tore through villages in Pesisir Selatan district of West Sumatra province, said Doni Yusrizal, who heads the local disaster management agency.
Rescuers had by Saturday pulled out seven bodies in the worst-hit village of Koto XI Tarusan, and recovered three others in two neighbouring villages, Yusrizal said.
Rescuers retrieved six bodies in Pesisir Selatan and three more in the neighbouring district of Padang Pariaman, the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) said on Sunday.
It said tens of thousands of people fled to temporary government shelters after the flood and landslide buried 14 houses, while 20,000 houses were flooded up to the roof in nine districts and cities in West Sumatra province.
“Relief efforts for the dead and missing were hampered by power outages, blocked roads covered in thick mud and debris,” Doni said.
Those evacuated gathered in the nearest mosques, said BNPB spokesman Abdul Muhari, but no temporary shelters were set up. They received food, water and medicines, while others returned home as waters subsided.
Heavy rains cause frequent landslides and flash floods in Indonesia, where millions of people live in mountainous areas or near floodplains.
Indonesia’s rainy season began in January, with the BMKG meteorological agency forecasting a first-quarter peak, particularly on the islands of Java and Sumatra.
Additional reporting by Agence France-Presse
