At least twelve people, including several children, have died and four are missing due to flash floods and cold lava flows in western Indonesia, emergency services announced on Sunday May 12. Nine bodies, including those of children aged three and eight, were identified, they said.
The tragedy occurred in the Agam and Tanah Datar districts in the west of the western island of Sumatra at around 10:30 p.m. local time (5:30 p.m. BST) on Saturday, according to Basarnas search and rescue agency. For hours, torrential rains fell on the region, causing flash floods and cold lava flows from Mount Marapi, a volcano located in the province of West Sumatra, detailed the agency.
“Twelve people died (…) and four others are still wanted in the Agam district,” its manager, Abdul Malik, explained in a statement on Sunday. “Today [Sunday], we will continue the search in both districts,” he added.
Cold lava is magma formed by the various materials that make up the walls of a volcano: ash, sand and rocks. Under the effect of rain, these can mix and flow along the crater.
Landslides and flooding are common in Indonesia during the rainy season. In March, at least twenty-six people died in landslides and floods in West Sumatra.
