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.