At least 19 individuals have tragically lost their lives, while seven others are reportedly unaccounted for following the occurrence of flash floods and a landslide induced by intense rainfall impacting Sumatra island in Indonesia.
The catastrophe unfolded late Friday when heaps of mud, rocks, and trees were dislodged from a mountain, descending into a river that overflowed its banks and swept through villages nestled along the mountainsides in the Pesisir Selatan district of West Sumatra province. This account was provided by Doni Yusrizal, who serves as the head of the local disaster management agency.
As of Saturday, rescue teams had recovered seven bodies from the severely impacted village of Koto XI Tarusan, with an additional three found in adjacent villages, according to Yusrizal.
The toll of casualties climbed further, with six more bodies retrieved in Pesisir Selatan and three in the nearby Padang Pariaman district, bringing the total count of fatalities to 19, as reported by the National Disaster Management Agency on Sunday.
The agency's statement also indicated that at least two individuals sustained injuries as a result of the flash floods, and rescue operations are underway to locate the seven individuals who remain missing.
Following the calamity, over 80,000 individuals sought refuge in temporary shelters provided by the government. The floodwaters and landslide buried 14 homes, while flooding inundated an additional 20,000 residences, submerging them up to their rooftops across nine districts and cities within West Sumatra province.
Yusrizal noted that relief efforts for the deceased and missing persons faced challenges due to power outages, and impassable roads obstructed by thick layers of mud and debris.
Indonesia experiences frequent occurrences of landslides and flash floods due to heavy rainfall, particularly in areas where millions of people reside near flood-prone plains or in mountainous regions.
