Indonesia After heavy rain: 20 dead in landslides on Sumatra

Flash floods and heavy landslides have claimed the lives of at least 20 people on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. According to the disaster management agency (BNPB), this was preceded by severe storms with heavy rain since last weekend.

The district of Karo in the north of Sumatra was the worst affected. Ten people died there alone, according to BNPB chief Abdul Muhari. In the district of Deli Serdang, where four people died in flash floods, the search was still on for two missing persons.

The emergency teams have hardly been able to reach some of the affected areas in recent days. Rescue work was extremely difficult due to the inaccessible terrain.

Schools and places of worship also damaged

According to Muhari, buildings were also damaged, including schools and places of worship. The exact extent of the damage is not yet known, he emphasized. The civil protection authorities called on the population in the region to be particularly vigilant, as further heavy rainfall was expected.

SDA