Indonesia landslides and floods kill dozens
4 April 2021, 15:14
Relief efforts have been hampered by power cuts, blocked roads covered in mud and debris and the remoteness of the areas affected.
Landslides and flash floods from torrential rain in eastern Indonesia have killed at least 41 people and displaced thousands.
Mud tumbled from surrounding hills onto dozens of homes in Lamenele village on Adonara island in East Nusa Tenggara province. Rescuers recovered 35 bodies and at least five injured people, said Lenny Ola, who heads the local disaster agency.
Flash flooding killed at least six people elsewhere, according to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency. Relief efforts were hampered by power cuts, blocked roads covered in thick mud and debris as well as the remoteness of the area surrounded by choppy seas and high waves, said the agency’s spokesperson, Raditya Jati.
Seasonal downpours cause frequent landslides and floods, killing dozens each year in Indonesia, a chain of 17,000 islands where millions of people live in mountainous areas or near fertile flood plains.
Indonesia’s disaster agency lowered the death toll late on Sunday to 41 – down from 44 – after search and rescue team reverified victims’ data. At least 27 people were still missing.
The bodies of three people were recovered after being swept away by floods in Oyang Bayang village, where 40 houses were also destroyed, Mr Ola said. Hundreds of people fled submerged homes, some of which were carried off by the floodwaters.
In another village, Waiburak, three people were killed and seven remained missing when overnight rain caused rivers to burst their banks, sending muddy water into large areas of East Flores district, Mr Ola said. Four injured people were being treated at a local health clinic.
At least six villages have been affected by flash floods and a landslide that cut five bridges on the island.
Photos released by the agency showed rescuers and police and military personnel taking residents to shelters.
