Indonesia Floods And Landslides Kill At Least 34 In North Sumatra; 52 Missing | World News
According to Al Jazeera, floods and landslides caused by heavy rain in Indonesia’s North Sumatra province killed at least 34 people, while rescue efforts were disrupted due to what an official described as a “complete cut” of roads and communications.
North Sumatra regional police spokesman Ferry Walintukan told the Detik news site that, apart from the confirmed deaths, at least 52 people were missing as of Thursday.
A rare tropical cyclone blew up on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, inundating the nearby Strait of Malacca and causing floods and landslides, the country’s meteorological office said Wednesday.
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Abdul Muhari, spokesman for the country’s disaster mitigation agency, said on Thursday that up to 8,000 people had been evacuated in North Sumatra, with roads remaining closed due to landslide debris and aid being distributed by helicopters, Al Jazeera reported.
Sibolga and Central Tapanuli districts were among the hardest hit, Yuyun Karseno, an official in the agency’s North Sumatra division, told Al Jazeera, adding that communications and power had been cut.
“There is no access anymore due to the total blackout,” Yuyun said when asked about the rescue efforts. “So far we cannot communicate with people in Sibolga and Central Tapanuli.”
Indonesia’s search and rescue agency said a family in Central Tapanuli was among the dead.
In a video shared by radio channel Elshinta on its social media account, a person was seen carrying a baby in a plastic container on a roof in Central Tapanuli.
Images and photos shared by the agency show rapid water currents flooding the area, causing buildings to collapse and rescuers using orange rafts to visit flooded homes.
Officials said floods and landslides also affected West Sumatra and Aceh provinces. Indonesia’s official news agency, Antara, reported that 10 of 23 cities and regions in Aceh were flooded, according to Al Jazeera.
