At least 16 people have died in Sumatra following flash floods and a landslide that struck the Indonesian island over the weekend. Authorities reported six people remain missing as of Monday.
Mud, rocks, and trees cascaded down a mountain after torrential rains caused rivers to overflow, tearing through four districts in North Sumatra province. The floods and landslides destroyed homes and farms, leaving widespread devastation. Rescue teams, including police, soldiers, and volunteers, are using excavators, farm tools, and even bare hands to search for the dead and missing, particularly in Semangat Gunung, a resort area in Karo district, according to Juspri M. Nadeak, head of the local disaster management agency.
On Sunday evening, a landslide buried two houses and a cottage in Semangat Gunung. Rescuers recovered six bodies and noted nine injured individuals managed to escape. The search for four missing people, including two children, continues.
In South Tapanuli district, flash floods swept away at least 10 houses and damaged approximately 150 others, along with other buildings. Rescuers recovered two bodies from a river on Sunday, said Puput Mashuri, the local disaster management agency chief.
Four people were killed by flash floods in Deli Serdang district, with two others still missing as rescue workers comb the area.
In Harang Julu, a mountainside village in Padang Lawas district, a landslide destroyed several homes. Mustari, the local search and rescue chief, reported that rescuers retrieved the bodies of a four-member family, including two children, late Saturday. Three injured survivors were also rescued.
The flash floods have injured dozens of people and swept through more than 130 hectares (321 acres) of farmland and plantations, leaving communities devastated.