16 Dead, 6 Missing as Flash Floods and Landslides Hit Indonesia’s Sumatra Island
Rescue teams in Indonesia have recovered 16 bodies from the wreckage of mud and rocks following devastating flash floods and landslides in villages on Sumatra Island. The disaster, which struck over the weekend, left six people still missing, officials reported on Monday. Torrential rains caused rivers to overflow, sending mud, rocks, and trees cascading down mountainsides in North Sumatra province. This destruction swept away homes, farms, and infrastructure across four hilly districts. Police, soldiers, and rescue teams have been using excavators, farm equipment, and even their bare hands to search for survivors and recover the dead. In Karo district’s Semangat Gunung area, rescuers recovered six bodies after a landslide hit two houses and a cottage late Sunday. Nine people were injured but survived. In South Tapanuli district, flash floods swept away at least 10 houses and damaged around 150 buildings. Rescue teams pulled two bodies from the river on Sunday, and dozens of people were injured, with over 130 hectares of agricultural land destroyed. The floods also claimed four lives in Deli Serdang district, with two more people still missing. In Padang Lawas district, a landslide hit a village in Harang Julu, where rescuers recovered the bodies of a family of four, including two children, and rescued several others. Seasonal rains from October to March often bring floods and landslides to Indonesia, an archipelago of 17,000 islands, many of which are home to people living in mountainous or flood-prone areas. This is not the first such disaster; last December, flash floods and landslides in North Sumatra left 12 people dead or missing.
