Floods and landslides have left at least eighteen dead and five missing on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, a local official announced on Saturday March 9. A previous report reported ten dead and as many missing.
Torrential rains caused flooding and landslides in the Pesisir Selatan district of West Sumatra province, forcing around 46,000 people to seek shelter in temporary shelters.
Disaster debris is hampering the work of rescuers, Doni Gusrizal, acting director of the Pesisir Selatan disaster management agency, told Agence France-Presse (AFP). “The impact of the flooding has been extraordinary. We are cleaning the road (…). Our vehicles cannot pass. »
20,000 houses flooded
At the end of Saturday, electricity was still cut in several areas of Pesisir Selatan, according to an AFP journalist in the district. At least fourteen houses were buried in a landslide, more than 20,000 houses flooded and eight bridges collapsed, according to a statement from the disaster management agency.
Still in West Sumatra, but in another district, that of Padang Pariaman, heavy downpours that fell between Thursday and Friday caused rivers to overflow and caused floods and a landslide killing at least three people, according to a another press release.
Landslides occur regularly in Indonesia during the rainy season, which is currently continuing. The problem has been made worse in some areas by deforestation.
