ALBAWABA - The death toll from Sumatra's flash flooding and landslides has soared to 26, an official said Monday, with at least 11 people still missing.
"Eleven people are still missing while 26 others have been found dead," Abdul Muhari, spokesman for the National Disaster Mitigation Agency, said in a statement Monday.
Torrential rains on Thursday prompted a natural disaster in West Sumatra province, where rivers overflowed and landslides engulfed homes.
According to Fajar Sukma, an official from West Sumatra's disaster mitigation agency, 23 persons were found dead in the Pesisir Selatan district, with six still missing. "Rescue efforts have been hampered by extreme weather and spotty electricity," Sukma said.
"It is still raining today and rescuers are conducting the rescue operation in the middle of the rain. There's a possibility that the number of casualties will continue to rise as we update the report," Sukma added.
Sukma stated that as of Sunday, rescuers had opened access to the most impacted districts and distributed supplies to evacuees, including as tents, medicines, and quick food.
According to the most recent update, power shortages persisted in several areas of Pesisir Selatan, worsening the post-disaster problems. According to the National Disaster Mitigation Organization, a landslide buried at least 14 buildings, over 20,000 houses were submerged and eight bridges collapsed due to natural forces.
The calamity has caused damage to hundreds of homes, bridges, mosques, and other public buildings.
Indonesia is prone to landslides during the rainy season, and the problem has been exacerbated in some areas by deforestation, with continuous torrential rain creating flooding in some parts of the archipelago nation.
In December, a landslide and flood swept away dozens of houses and demolished a hotel near Sumatra's Lake Toba, killing at least two people, AFP reported.
