WNAM MONITORING: The death toll from flash flooding and landslides in West Sumatra has risen to 26, an official said Monday, with at least 11 people still missing. Torrential rains on Thursday triggered the disaster in West Sumatra province, where rivers overflowed and landslides swallowed homes. “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.
In the district of Pesisir Selatan, 23 people were found dead and six were still missing, according to Fajar Sukma, an official from West Sumatra’s disaster mitigation agency. Three other victims were found dead in Padang Pariaman district, which also suffered heavy damage.
The disaster has damaged hundreds of houses, bridges, mosques, and other public facilities. With more rain expected in the next few days, the agency warned of further damage from floods and landslides. Indonesia’s rainy season began in January with the BMKG meteorological agency forecasting a first-quarter peak, particularly on the islands of Java and Sumatra. Indonesia is prone to landslides during the rainy season and the problem has been aggravated in some places by deforestation, with prolonged torrential rain causing flooding in some areas of the archipelago nation.
