A landslide which has been fueled by flash floods on Indonesia’s Sumatra island have left no fewer than 19 people dead and seven others missing, officials have revealed.
Mud, rocks and uprooted trees rushed down a mountainside and engulfed villages in the Pesisir Selatan district of West Sumatra province late on Friday following torrential rains, Doni Yusrizal, who heads the local disaster management agency, said on Sunday morning.
Yusrizal revealed that rescuers recovered seven bodies in the village of Koto XI Tarusan and three others in two neighbouring villages.
“Relief efforts for the dead and missing were hampered by power outages, blocked roads covered in thick mud and debris,” Yusrizal said.
Indonesia’s National Disaster Management Agency said six bodies were found in Pesisir Selatan and three bodies were found in the neighbouring district of Padang Pariaman, bringing the death toll so far to 19.
Read Also: Indonesia Volcano Tragedy: Death Toll Rises To 13
The statement outlined the extent of the devastation, indicating that at least 14 homes were buried under the landslide, with over 20,000 houses submerged in floodwaters, and eight bridges destroyed.
According to the local disaster mitigation agency’s statement, in Padang Pariaman regency, located within West Sumatra, heavy rainfall occurring between Thursday and Friday caused rivers to inundate their surroundings, leading to floods and a landslide that claimed the lives of at least three people.
The agency said at least two villagers were injured and seven others were still missing, with more than 80,000 people fleeing to temporary government shelters.
Africa Today News, New York reports that flash floods and landslides are a common occurrence in Indonesia, where millions of people live near floodplains, especially during the rainy season.
In December, at least two people were killed when a landslide and floods swept away dozens of houses and destroyed a hotel near Lake Toba on Sumatra.