18 Dead, 5 Missing: Massive Landslide In Indonesia

At least 18 individuals lost their lives, and five are currently unaccounted for following flash floods and a landslide on Sumatra, Indonesia, as reported by a local official on Saturday. The devastating events, caused by torrential rains, struck the Pesisir Selatan regency in the West Sumatra province, compelling approximately 46,000 residents to seek refuge in temporary shelters.

Doni Gusrizal, the acting head of the Pesisir Selatan disaster mitigation agency, informed AFP on Saturday night, “Eighteen fatalities have been confirmed, with five individuals still missing.” This updated toll contrasts with the earlier figure of 10 provided in an initial statement by the official.

Doni highlighted the challenges faced in ongoing rescue operations due to debris from the calamities. “The impact of the floods has been extraordinary. Currently, we are clearing the roads, as our vehicles cannot navigate through,” he stated.

As of late Saturday, power outages persisted in various parts of Pesisir Selatan, according to an AFP reporter in the regency. A landslide in which at least 14 houses were buried, flooding affecting over 20,000 houses, and the collapse of eight bridges were previously reported by the national disaster mitigation agency.

In a separate incident in the Padang Pariaman regency, also in West Sumatra, heavy rainfall between Thursday and Friday resulted in overflowing rivers, triggering floods and a landslide that claimed the lives of at least three individuals, according to a statement from the local disaster mitigation agency.

Indonesia, facing a heightened risk of landslides during the rainy season, contends with exacerbated challenges in some regions due to deforestation. Prolonged torrential rains have led to flooding in various areas of the archipelago nation.