Floods and landslides leave 22 dead, 15 missing in Indonesia

JAKARTA: Torrential rains triggered flash floods and landslides on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, killing at least 22 people, mostly children at a school, and leaving 15 others missing, officials said.

A flash flood with mud and debris from landslides struck Mandailing Natal district in North Sumatra province and smashed an Islamic school in Muara Saladi village, where 21 children were swept away on Friday afternoon, said local police chief Irsan Sinuhaji.

He said rescuers retrieved the bodies of 11 children from mud and rubble hours later.

The National Disaster Mitigation Agency’s spokesman, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, said rescuers were searching for 10 other children still missing.

Nugroho said two bodies were found early yesterday from a car washed away by floods in Mandailing Natal, where 17 houses collapsed and five were swept away. Hundreds of other homes were flooded up to 2m-high, while landslides occurred in eight areas.

Four villagers were killed after landslides hit 29 houses and flooded about 100 buildings in neighbouring Sibolga district, Nugroho said.

He said flash floods also smashed several villages in West Sumatra province’s Tanah Datar district, killing four people, including two children, and leaving three missing.

Landslides and flooding in West Pasaman district killed a villager and left two missing after 500 houses flooded and three bridges collapsed.