MANDALING NATAL, Indonesia: At least 22 people have died and many are missing after heavy rain unleashed flash floods and landslides in western Indonesia, an official said

Heavy downpours since Wednesday triggered flooding and landslides that hit several districts on Sumatra island.

At least 17 people were confirmed killed in the last three days in North Sumatra province, while five others were killed in West Sumatra, authorities said.

"Eleven students of an Islamic boarding school in Muara Saladi village, Mandailing Natal district, North Sumatra died Friday afternoon during class as they were struck by a building which was destroyed by the flash floods," spokesman for the national disaster agency Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said. Dozens of houses have also been destroyed. "The disaster and search and rescue agency have gone to the districts. </s> MANDAILING, Indonesia (AFP) - At least 10 people have died and as many are missing after heavy rain unleashed flash floods and landslides in western Indonesia, an official said on Saturday (Oct 13).

Heavy downpours since Wednesday triggered flooding and landslides that hit some 24 villages in Mandailing Natal district, North Sumatra province.

At least 10 people were confirmed killed while another 10 are missing at an Islamic boarding school that was buried by the landslides, the head of North Sumatra disaster agency Riadil Lubis said.

"The disaster and search and rescue agency have gone to the district but have been hampered by the landslides in several areas," Riadil Lubis told AFP.

Landslides and flooding are common in Indonesia, a vast tropical archipelago prone to natural disasters and torrential downpours.

In February, 12 people died when an avalanche of mud and rock cascaded down a steep slope in central Java, Indonesia's main island.

In June 2016, nearly 50 people died when heavy downpours sent torrents of water, mud and rock into villages also in Central Java province. </s> At least 22 dead in Indonesia floods and landslides

MANDAILING NATAL: At least 22 people have died and many are missing after heavy rain unleashed flash floods and landslides in western Indonesia, an official said Saturday. Heavy downpours since Wednesday triggered flooding and landslides that hit several districts on Sumatra island. At least 17 people were confirmed killed in the last three days in North Sumatra province, while five others were killed in West Sumatra, authorities said. “Eleven students of an Islamic boarding school in Muara Saladi village, Mandailing Natal district, North Sumatra died Friday afternoon during class as they were struck by a building which was destroyed by the flash floods,” spokesman for the national disaster agency Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said. Dozens of houses have also been destroyed. “The disaster and search and rescue agency have gone to the districts but have been hampered by the landslides in several areas,” the head of North Sumatra disaster agency Riadil Lubis told AFP. Landslides and flooding are common in Indonesia, a vast tropical archipelago prone to natural disasters and torrential downpours. In February, 12 people died when an avalanche of mud and rock cascaded down a steep slope in central Java, Indonesia’s main island. In June 2016, nearly 50 people died when heavy downpours sent torrents of water, mud and rock into villages also in Central Java province. </s> MANDAILING NATAL (Sumatra)
• At least 22 people have died and many are missing after heavy rain unleashed flash floods and landslides in western Indonesia, an official said yesterday.

Heavy downpours since last Wednesday triggered flooding and landslides that hit several districts on Sumatra island.

At least 17 people were confirmed dead in the past three days in North Sumatra province, while five others were killed in West Sumatra, the authorities said.

Eleven students at an Islamic boarding school in Muara Saladi village in Mandailing Natal district, North Sumatra, died last Friday when mud and debris from a landslide smashed into their school, said national disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho.

Scores of people were believed to be buried under the mud after the flash floods, and the death toll might rise as assessment of the aftermath was still under way, he was quoted by Xinhua as saying.

Dozens of houses have also been destroyed.

"The disaster and search and rescue agency have gone to the districts but have been hampered by the landslides in several areas," head of the North Sumatra disaster agency Riadil Lubis told Agence France-Presse.

Landslides and flooding are common in Indonesia, a vast tropical archipelago prone to natural disasters and torrential downpours.

In February, 12 people died when an avalanche of mud and rock cascaded down a steep slope in central Java, Indonesia's main island.

In June 2016, nearly 50 people died when heavy downpours sent torrents of water, mud and rock into villages in Central Java. </s> JAKARTA, Indonesia — Soldiers, police and residents fanned out across a damaged Indonesian village Tuesday, searching in the mud for possible victims of a landslide caused by torrential rain that killed at least nine people and left 34 others missing.

Tons of mud that rolled from the surrounding hills late Monday buried 30 houses in Sirnaresmi village of West Java's Sukabumi district. Sixty people who were displaced have fled to a temporary shelter, said Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman.

He said more than 500 rescuers have retrieved eight bodies from mounds of mud and pulled out four injured people, including an infant who died in the hospital. They are still searching for 34 villagers said to still be missing.

Authorities struggled to get tractors and other heavy equipment over washed-out roads as heavy rain was hampering search efforts, Nugroho said. Television footage showed hundreds of police, soldiers and residents digging through debris with their hands, shovels and hoes.

"Lack of equipment, bad weather and blackout hampered our rescue efforts for those who are still missing and feared dead," said Nugroho.

Seasonal rains and high tides in recent days have caused dozens of landslides and widespread flooding across much of Indonesia, a chain of 17,000 islands where millions of people live in mountainous areas or near fertile flood plains near rivers.

The landslide occurred during New Year's Eve celebrations less than two weeks after a deadly volcano and tsunami disaster.

On Dec. 22, the Anak Krakatau volcano in the Sunda Strait erupted and partially collapsed into the sea, causing a tsunami that killed 437 people on Java and Sumatra islands. At least 16 people still missing and more than 33,700 residents were displaced. </s> At least 27 people were killed in rain-related incidents in Indonesia’s Sumatra, AP reported on Saturday. Rescue personnel are searching for several people, who have been reported missing.

An Islamic school in Mandailing Natal was washed away in a landslide triggered by the rain. Police chief Issan Sinuhahi said bodies of 11 children were retrieved from the debris after the flood swept away 29 children.

The floods also claimed lives and damaged structures in West Sumatra province’s Tanah Datar, Padang Pariaman and West Pasaman areas.

Local administrations in North and West Sumatra provinces have declared a week-long emergency.

“The disaster and search and rescue agency have gone to the districts but have been hampered by the landslides in several areas,” Riadil Lubis, head of North Sumatra disaster agency, told AFP. </s> At least 59 people have been killed and 25 are missing after landslides and floods ravaged Indonesia's South Sulawesi province.

Floods have inundated at least 100 villages in the province since Wednesday, following days of heavy rain, the country's disaster management agency said.

At least 44 people died in the hardest-hit district, Gowa, said Sutopo Nugroho, spokesman for the National Disaster Management Agency.

Nearly 5000 homes and 12,000 hectares of rice fields were under water, while about 3500 people were displaced, he said.

Landslides and floods are common in Indonesia during the rainy season, which is expected to peak in January and February this year. </s> JAKARTA, Indonesia — Torrential rains triggered flash floods and landslides on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, killing at least 27 people, including a dozen children at a school, officials said Saturday.

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 29 children were swept away on Friday, 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 and villagers managed to rescue 17 other children and several teachers on Friday and pulled out the body of a child on Saturday near Aek Saladi river, close to the school.

A video obtained by the Associated Press showed relatives crying besides their loved ones at a health clinic where the bodies of the children were covered with blankets.

Nugroho said two bodies were found early Saturday from a car washed away by floods in Mandailing Natal, where 17 houses collapsed and 12 were swept away. Hundreds of other homes were flooded, while landslides occurred in eight areas of the region.

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

He said flash floods also smashed several villages in West Sumatra province’s Tanah Datar district, killing five people, including two children, and leaving another missing. Landslides and flooding in the neighboring districts of Padang Pariaman and West Pasaman killed four villagers after 500 houses flooded and three bridges collapsed.

Both North and West Sumatra provinces declared a weeklong emergency relief period as hundreds of survivors fled their hillside homes to safer ground, Nugroho said. </s> Soldiers, police and residents fanned out across a damaged Indonesian village Tuesday, searching in the mud for possible victims of a landslide caused by torrential rain that killed at least nine people and left 34 others missing.

Tons of mud that rolled from the surrounding hills late Monday buried 30 houses in Sirnaresmi village of West Java's Sukabumi district. Sixty people who were displaced have fled to a temporary shelter, said Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman.

He said more than 500 rescuers have retrieved eight bodies from mounds of mud and pulled out four injured people, including an infant who died in the hospital.

They are still searching for 34 villagers said to still be missing.

Authorities struggled to get tractors and other heavy equipment over washed-out roads as heavy rain was hampering search efforts, Nugroho said. Television footage showed hundreds of police, soldiers and residents digging through debris with their hands, shovels and hoes.

"Lack of equipment, bad weather and blackout hampered our rescue efforts for those who are still missing and feared dead," said Nugroho.

Seasonal rains and high tides in recent days have caused dozens of landslides and widespread flooding across much of Indonesia, a chain of 17,000 islands where millions of people live in mountainous areas or near fertile flood plains near rivers.

The landslide occurred during New Year's Eve celebrations less than two weeks after a deadly volcano and tsunami disaster.

On Dec. 22, the Anak Krakatau volcano in the Sunda Strait erupted and partially collapsed into the sea, causing a tsunami that killed 437 people on Java and Sumatra islands. At least 16 people still missing and more than 33,700 residents were displaced.

Rescuers are searching for survivors after a landslide triggered by heavy rain left at least five people dead and dozens missing in western Indonesia, an official said Tuesday.

The landslide occurred shortly before sunset on Monday in West Java province. Search and rescue teams have found five people dead and are scouring the area for at least 38 missing people according to the national disaster agency.

Pouring rain, electricity cuts and rough roads are preventing heavy machinery from accessing the area in Sukabumi regency, disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said.

"Relief efforts have also been hampered by a lot of people who want to get to the disaster," he said.

"The roads are narrow which has caused rescue teams, logistics and ambulances to be stuck in traffic jams."

The search operation was halted overnight but continued Tuesday morning.

Three people have been injured in the disaster and 61 others evacuated from the area, Nugroho said.

Landslides are common in Indonesia, a vast tropical archipelago prone to natural disasters and torrential downpours.

More than 20 people died in October when flash floods and landslides hit several provinces on Sumatra island, western Indonesia.

In June 2016, nearly 50 people died when floods and landslides struck Banjarnegara regency, Central Java province.
At least 27 people die and many others disappear after heavy floods and landslides in Sumatra, Indonesia.