Torrential rain has triggered flash floods and landslides in Sumatra, Indonesia, killing not less than 17 individuals.
Six persons are lacking, officers mentioned on Wednesday, as rescue groups struggled to achieve affected areas in North Sumatra province.
Monsoon rains over the previous week have led to rivers bursting their banks and tearing via hilly villages as mud, rocks and timber tumbled down, leaving a path of destruction, police mentioned.
Rescue employees had recovered not less than 5 our bodies and three injured individuals within the worst-hit metropolis of Sibolga by Wednesday. They have been trying to find 4 villagers who have been reported lacking, a press release mentioned.
Within the neighbouring district of Central Tapanuli, landslides struck a number of properties, killing a household of 4, with floods submerging nearly 2,000 properties and buildings.
Rescuers recovered seven extra our bodies in South Tapanuli district, after floods and landslides that uprooted timber and prompted greater than 2,800 residents to flee to short-term shelters.
Abdul Muhari, spokesperson for the nation’s nationwide catastrophe mitigation company, mentioned one other 58 have been injured.
He mentioned landslides additionally hit 50 homes in North Tapanuli district and destroyed not less than two major bridges within the space.
Picture:
A bridge destroyed by a flash flood in North Tapanuli, North Sumatra Province, Indonesia. Pic: AP
Movies posted on social media confirmed water streaming down from rooftops as panicked residents scrambled to security.
In some areas, flash floods dramatically worsened, reworking streets into raging torrents carrying tree trunks and particles.
Sibolga police chief Eddy Inganta mentioned emergency shelters had been set-up, and authorities urged residents in high-risk zones to evacuate instantly, warning continued rainfall might set off additional landslides.
“Bad weather and mudslides hampered the rescue operation,” Mr Inganta mentioned, including entry remained restricted as rescuers battled harsh situations.
Tuesday’s disasters occurred the identical day the catastrophe mitigation company declared the official finish of aid efforts in two areas of Java, Indonesia’s most populated island, after 10 days of operations.
Greater than 1,000 rescue employees had been deployed to seek for individuals buried beneath landslides triggered by torrential rains that left 38 individuals lifeless in Central Java’s districts of Cilacap and Banjarnegara.
No less than two individuals in Cilacap and 11 in Banjarnegara have been nonetheless unaccounted for when the operations ended, as unstable floor, dangerous climate and the depth and extent of the landfill materials posed a excessive security threat to residents and rescue groups, the company mentioned.
Heavy seasonal rain from about October to March typically causes flooding and landslides in Indonesia – an archipelago of greater than 17,000 islands together with Sumatra – the place thousands and thousands of individuals reside in mountainous areas or close to fertile floodplains.
Final week additionally noticed almost 1,000 individuals from three villages on Java compelled to flee to shelters after the eruption of Mount Semeru, the island’s highest volcano.
