Death toll from Indonesia floods, landslides rises to 26
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Rescue personnel looking for landslide victims in Padang Pariaman, West Sumatra, following days of heavy rain across the province.
PHOTO: AFP
JAKARTA - The death toll from flash flooding and landslides on the Indonesian island of Sumatra has risen to 26, an official said on March 11, with at least 11 people still missing.
Torrential rain on March 7 triggered the disaster
“Eleven people are still missing while 26 others have been found dead,” Mr Abdul Muhari, spokesman for the National Disaster Mitigation Agency, said in a statement on March 11.
In the district of Pesisir Selatan, 23 people were found dead and six were still missing, according to Mr Fajar Sukma, an official from West Sumatra’s disaster mitigation agency.
Three other victims were found dead in Padang Pariaman district, which also suffered heavy damage.
Rescue efforts have been hampered by extreme weather and spotty electricity, Mr Sukma said.
“It is still raining today and rescuers are conducting the rescue operation in the middle of the rain. There’s a possibility that the number of casualties will continue to rise as we update the report,” he said.
Mr Sukma added that, as at March 10, rescuers had managed to open access to the most affected areas and distribute aid to evacuees, including tents, medicine and instant food.
The disaster has damaged hundreds of houses, bridges, mosques and other public facilities.
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 in Sumatra in December 2023, killing at least two people. AFP
