NEW DELHI: Flash floods and landslide triggered by heavy rains have resulted in the loss of at least 19 lives in Indonesia‘s Sumatra island, seven people are still reported missing, according to officials on Sunday.
Head of the local disaster management agency, Doni Yusrizal, said that the disaster occurred in the Pesisir Selatan district of West Sumatra province when a large amount of mud, rocks, and uprooted trees flowed down a mountain, causing a river to overflow and devastate nearby villages, late Friday.
Yusrizal said, rescuers by Saturday pulled out seven bodies in the worst-hit village of Koto XI Tarusan, while three others were found in neighboring villages.
The National Disaster Management Agency reported that six more bodies were retrieved in Pesisir Selatan and three in the neighboring district of Padang Pariaman, bringing the death toll to 19.
The agency said, two villagers were injured by the flash flood and rescuers are searching for seven people who are reportedly still missing.
Over 80,000 individuals sought refuge in temporary government shelters, as the flood submerged 14 houses and flooded 20,000 more up to the roof in nine districts and cities in West Sumatra, they added.
“Relief efforts for the dead and missing were hampered by power outages, blocked roads covered in thick mud and debris,” Yusrizal said.
(With inputs from agencies)
Head of the local disaster management agency, Doni Yusrizal, said that the disaster occurred in the Pesisir Selatan district of West Sumatra province when a large amount of mud, rocks, and uprooted trees flowed down a mountain, causing a river to overflow and devastate nearby villages, late Friday.
Yusrizal said, rescuers by Saturday pulled out seven bodies in the worst-hit village of Koto XI Tarusan, while three others were found in neighboring villages.
The National Disaster Management Agency reported that six more bodies were retrieved in Pesisir Selatan and three in the neighboring district of Padang Pariaman, bringing the death toll to 19.
The agency said, two villagers were injured by the flash flood and rescuers are searching for seven people who are reportedly still missing.
Over 80,000 individuals sought refuge in temporary government shelters, as the flood submerged 14 houses and flooded 20,000 more up to the roof in nine districts and cities in West Sumatra, they added.
“Relief efforts for the dead and missing were hampered by power outages, blocked roads covered in thick mud and debris,” Yusrizal said.
(With inputs from agencies)