Flash floods in Indonesia’s North Sulawesi kill 14; four still missing
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People waiting to use a rope ferry to cross a river following flash floods in Bireuen district, Aceh, on Jan 5.
PHOTO: AFP
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JAKARTA – At least 14 people were killed after being swept away by flash floods in Indonesia’s North Sulawesi, an official said on Jan 6, as the search for those missing continued.
Heavy rain early on Jan 5 triggered flash floods on the island of Siau, located in the region of Siau Tagulandang Biaro, said local rescue agency spokesman Nuriadin Gumeleng.
Sixteen rescuers have been deployed to search for four people who remain missing on Jan 6, Mr Gumeleng told Reuters, adding that 18 people have been injured so far.
“We continue to collect data from local residents in case there are more missing people,” he said.
As at Jan 6, the main roads in the affected areas are still covered by rocks, debris and thick mud, Mr Gumeleng said.
At least 444 people have been evacuated to local schools and churches after the flash floods, the country’s disaster mitigation agency spokesman Abdul Muhari said in a statement.
The authorities have deployed excavators to clear the roads, he said.
The floods also destroyed hundreds of houses and government buildings, North Sulawesi Governor Yulius Selvanus said.
The flash floods took place in the peak of the wet season on Sulawesi island, as forecast by Indonesia’s weather agency.
The islands of Java, Sulawesi, Maluku and Papua are expected to experience their peak wet seasons over January and February, bringing more risks of floods, the weather agency had said.
Rain in other parts of Indonesia like Sumatra and Borneo reached its peak in November and December in 2025.
In November, cyclone-induced floods and landslides killed more than 1,000 people in Sumatra
