Nineteen people have died and dozens are missing after floods and landslides in Sumatra, Indonesia. Photo / Getty Images
Nineteen people have died and dozens are missing after floods and landslides in Sumatra, Indonesia. Photo / Getty Images
The death toll from floods and landslides on the island of Sumatra in Indonesia rose to 19 people, a rescue official said on Thursday. Dozens are still missing.
Extreme weather has battered North Sumatra for several days, triggering flooding and landslides in several districts across the province.
“There is noupdate so far this morning. In total, for all the affected locations, 19 people died,” national search and rescue agency official Emy Freezer told AFP, citing data from Wednesday night.
He added that at least 24 people were reported missing in six locations.
Road access to the affected areas had been cut as well as telecommunication and electricity services, Freezer said.
Authorities were focusing on clearing debris to reach the isolated locations and provide assistance, he added.
Heavy rain in the neighbouring province of Aceh over the past few days triggered floods and landslides, prompting the evacuation of nearly 1500 people, according to the local disaster agency.
Search and rescue operations continue after flash floods and landslides following torrential rains in Sumatra, Indonesia. Photo / Getty Images
Electricity services in parts of the province have also been knocked out, according to an AFP journalist.
The state-owned electricity company Perusahaan Listrik Negara said in a statement on Wednesday that it had deployed personnel to gradually restore power supplies after a flash flood caused the collapse of a transmission tower.
The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics agency warned that a cyclone dubbed Senyar had formed on Wednesday, which could bring more extreme weather to the region in coming days.
The annual monsoon season, typically between June and September, often brings heavy rains, triggering landslides, flash floods and waterborne diseases.
Climate change has impacted storm patterns, including the duration and intensity of the season, leading to heavier rainfall, flash flooding, and stronger wind gusts.
At least 38 people died this month in landslides triggered by heavy rainfall in Central Java and around 13 are still missing.
A magnitude 6.6-earthquake hit an island off the coast of Sumatra in western Indonesia on Thursday, according to the United States Geological Survey, with no immediate reports of damages or tsunami warning.
The quake, which struck Simeulue Island at 11.56am (local time) at a depth of 25 kilometres, prompted locals on the island to immediately rush outside.
“I was sitting down at a coffee shop, suddenly the table was shaking. Many people rushed outside of buildings and houses,” Ahmadi, who like many Indonesians goes by one name, told AFP.
“The earthquake was quite long. I think probably around seven seconds or more.”
He said there were several aftershocks but the tremors were relatively shorter compared to the earlier quake, adding that he had yet to receive any information about damages.
