Rescuers put the body of a victim of a flash flood on a gurney at a local community health center in Padang Pariaman, West Sumatra, Indonesia, on May 12, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AP

Heavy rain brought floods and landslides to Indonesia’s province of West Sumatra, killing at least 28, with four still missing, authorities said on May 12.

“There are 28 people killed, and we are still searching for four others who are missing,” Abdul Malik, the chief of the provincial rescue team, told Reuters.

The national disaster management agency BNPB said in a statement that flooding since Saturday night had brought mud to the Tanah Datar regency, affecting five sub-districts.

BNPB said its latest assessment showed 84 housing units and 16 bridges were affected by the disaster, adding that heavy equipment had been deployed to speed up the clearing of road access.

In this Friday, May 3, 2024, photo released by the Wajo Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD Wajo), rescuers carry people affected by a flood in Wajo, South Sulawesi, Indonesia. A flood and a landslide hit Indonesia’s Sulawesi island, killing a number of people, officials said Saturday.
| Photo Credit: AP

A flood and a landslide hit Indonesia’s Sulawesi island, killing 14 people, officials said Saturday.

Torrential rain pounding the area since Thursday triggered a landslide in Luwu district in South Sulawesi province, said local rescue chief Mexianus Bekabel.

Floods up to 3 metres (10 feet) have affected 13 sub-districts as water and mud covered the area. More than 1,000 houses were affected, with 42 of them swept off their foundations.

A search and rescue team worked to evacuate residents using rubber boats and other vehicles. More than 100 residents have been moved to mosques or relatives’ houses outside the affected area, National Disaster Management Agency spokesperson Abdul Muhari said Saturday.

Seasonal downpours cause frequent landslides and floods in Indonesia, a chain of 17,000 islands where millions of people live in mountainous areas or in fertile floodplains.

Torrential rains in April triggered landslides and killed 20 people in Tana Toraja district of South Sulawesi province.

A landslide and floods swept away dozens of houses and destroyed a hotel near Lake Toba on Sumatra in December, killing at least two people. Image for representation purposes only. File
| Photo Credit: Reuters

The death toll from flash flooding and landslides on the Indonesian island of Sumatra has risen to 21, an official said March 10, 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, told AFP by phone on Sunday.

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, Mr. Fajar said.

A local official earlier put the death toll at 18 with five missing.

Rescuers were searching for the missing on Sunday as authorities focused their operation on three areas affected by the disasters, local search and rescue official Abdul Malik said.

“Today’s search involves around 150 people from disaster organisations in West Sumatra,” Mr. Abdul said in a statement.

Doni Gusrizal, a senior official from the Pesisir Selatan disaster mitigation agency, said waters had started to recede after the flooding, but added that access to areas affected by the landslide remained difficult because of hilly terrain.

In the Padang Pariaman regency, also in West Sumatra, heavy downpours earlier this week caused rivers to overflow and triggered floods and a landslide, killing at least three people, according to a statement from the local disaster agency.

Indonesia is prone to landslides during the rainy season and the problem has been aggravated in some places by deforestation, with prolonged torrential rain causing flooding in some areas of the archipelago nation.

A landslide and floods swept away dozens of houses and destroyed a hotel near Lake Toba on Sumatra in December, killing at least two people.

Jakarta:

At least 18 people were killed and five others were missing after flash floods and a landslide on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, a local official said Saturday in a new toll.

Torrential rains triggered the floods and landslide that hit Pesisir Selatan regency in West Sumatra province, forcing around 46,000 people to evacuate to temporary shelters.

“Eighteen people were found dead. Five were missing,” Pesisir Selatan disaster mitigation agency acting head Doni Gusrizal told AFP late Saturday.

The official updated the toll from 10 he gave in an earlier statement.

Doni said debris from the disasters had hampered ongoing rescue efforts. 

“The impact from the floods (was) extraordinary. Currently we are cleaning the road… Our vehicles cannot pass through,” he said.  

As of late Saturday, electricity services were still down in several parts of Pesisir Selatan after the disaster, according to an AFP reporter in the regency. 

At least 14 houses were buried in the landslide, more than 20,000 houses were flooded and eight bridges had collapsed, according to earlier statement from the national disaster mitigation agency.

In Padang Pariaman regency, also in West Sumatra, heavy downpours between Thursday and Friday caused rivers to overflow and triggered floods and a landslide, killing at least three people, according to a statement from the local disaster mitigation agency.

Indonesia is prone to landslides during the rainy season and the problem has been aggravated in some places by deforestation, with prolonged torrential rain causing flooding in some areas of the archipelago nation.

A landslide and floods swept away dozens of houses and destroyed a hotel near Lake Toba on Sumatra in December, killing at least two people.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)