Floods kill 43 in Indonesia's West Sumatra, 15 missing

TANAH DATAR (Reuters) – Flash floods and mudslides in Indonesia's West Sumatra province killed at least 43 people over the weekend while the search for 15 missing people continued, authorities said on Monday. authorities.

Torrential rains on Saturday evening triggered flash floods, landslides and cold lava flows – a muddy mixture of volcanic ash, rock debris and water – in three districts of West Sumatra province, said Reuters Abdul Malik, head of the provincial rescue team. .

The cold lava flow, known in Indonesia as lahar, came from Mount Marapi, one of Sumatra's most active volcanoes.

In December, more than 20 people were killed after Marapi erupted. Since then, a series of eruptions has ensued.

“Heavy rains washed away materials such as ash and large rocks from the Marapi volcano,” said Abdul Malik, who later added in a statement that 43 people had died and 15 were still missing.

“Cold lava flows and flash floods have always been threats to us lately. But the problem is that it always happens late at night until dawn,” he said.

Abdul said about 400 people, including rescuers, police and military personnel, were deployed Monday to search for the missing people, aided by at least eight excavators and drones.

The National Disaster Management and Response Agency, BNPB, said in a statement that nearly 200 houses were damaged and 72 hectares (178 acres) of land, including rice fields, were affected. At least 159 people from Agam district were evacuated to nearby schools.

Images shared by BNPB showed roads and rice fields covered in mud. The video also showed the rubble of damaged homes and buildings, as floods brought logs and large rocks into settlements.

Eko Widodo, a 43-year-old survivor, said: “The flood was sudden and the river got blocked, causing water to flow everywhere and it got out of control. »

(Reporting by Aidil Ichlas in Tanah Datar and Ananda Teresia in Jakarta, editing by Christian Schmollinger and Bernadette Baum)