MEDAN: Torrential rains unleashed flash floods and triggered landslides on Indonesia’s Sumatra island, killing at least 10 people and leaving six others missing, police said Wednesday (Nov 26).
Rescue teams were struggling to reach affected areas in six regencies of North Sumatra province after the monsoon rains over the past week caused rivers to burst their banks, tearing through hilly villages as mud, rocks and trees tumbled down, leaving destruction in their wake, the National Police said in a statement.
Rescue workers by Wednesday had recovered at least five bodies and three injured people in the worst-hit city of Sibolga and were searching for four villagers who were reported missing, the statement said.
In the neighboring district of Central Tapanuli, landslides hit several homes, killing at least a family of four, and floods submerged nearly 2,000 houses and buildings.
Floods and landslides also uprooted trees that killed a villager in South Tapanuli district and hurt another, destroyed a bridge in Mandailing Natal district and submerged 470 houses. A main road was blocked by mud and debris in Nias island, the statement said.
Videos on social media show water cascading down rooftops as panicked residents scramble for safety. In some areas, flash floods rose rapidly, transforming streets into raging torrents carrying tree trunks and debris.
