At least 10 people have died and six others are missing after torrential rains triggered flash floods and landslides on Indonesia’s Sumatra island. Police gave this information on Wednesday.
The National Police said in a statement that monsoon rains last week caused the rivers to swell. After this the flood caused devastation in the area. Following the incident, rescue teams are struggling to reach affected areas in six districts of North Sumatra province.
As of Wednesday, rescue workers had recovered at least five bodies and three injured people from the worst-hit town of Sibolga and were searching for four missing villagers, the statement said. In the neighboring district Madhya Tapnauli, at least four people of the same family died due to a landslide.
About 2,000 houses and buildings were submerged due to the flood. Due to this disaster, trees were uprooted in South Tapnauli district due to which a villager died. Sibolga police chief Eddy Inganta said emergency shelters had been set up and authorities urged residents in high-risk areas to immediately evacuate.
Heavy seasonal rains from October to March frequently cause landslides and floods in Indonesia. It is an archipelago of 17,000 islands, where millions of people live in mountainous areas or near fertile plains.