KARO, Indonesia — Authorities in Indonesia announced the recovery of 16 bodies from debris and mud following devastating flash floods that struck hillside communities on Sumatra Island. As of Monday, six individuals are still unaccounted for.
Torrential rainfall over the weekend caused mud, rocks, and trees to cascade down the mountains, leading rivers to overflow their banks. This disaster severely affected four districts in North Sumatra province, resulting in the destruction of homes and agricultural land.
Police, military personnel, and rescue workers employed machinery like excavators along with manual labor to search for survivors and victims in the Semangat Gunung area of Karo district, as mentioned by the head of the local disaster management agency, Juspri M. Nadeak. Rescuers managed to retrieve six bodies from two homes and a cottage that were struck by a landslide late Sunday. Fortunately, nine injured individuals were able to escape, but the search continued for four missing persons, including two children.
On the same day, rescuers discovered two bodies in a river after flash floods obliterated at least ten houses and severely damaged around 150 structures in South Tapanuli district. Puput Mashuri, the head of the local disaster agency, reported that the floods resulted in numerous injuries and devastated over 130 hectares (321 acres) of farmland and plantations.
In Deli Serdang district, flash floods took the lives of four individuals. Rescue teams were actively searching for two more people reported missing. The floods also triggered a landslide that impacted several homes in Harang Julu, a village in Padang Lawas district, according to local search and rescue chief Mustari. Late Saturday, rescuers recovered the bodies of a family of four, which included two children, and provided assistance to at least three injured residents from the ravaged village.
Distressing television footage showed grieving family members observing as rescuers extracted bodies covered in mud from a collapsed home in Harang Julu village.
Indonesia often faces seasonal rains from October to March, which frequently lead to flooding and landslides. This archipelago consists of 17,000 islands, where millions reside near fertile flood plains or mountainous areas.
Last December, heavy rainfall resulted in a similar tragedy, claiming the lives of 12 individuals in North Sumatra province, where only one body was found and 11 people remain missing.
The 1,145-square-kilometer (440-square-mile) Lake Toba, a popular tourist destination formed by an ancient supervolcano, is situated in Sumatra and is an area the government seeks to develop to attract international visitors.