Days of intense rain have caused floods and landslides in indonesia's province of western Sumatra, forcing the evacuation of more than 70,000 people and leaving at least 19 dead and seven missing, according to authorities on Sunday.
 |
| Floods in indonesia |
Since last Thursday, there has been a havoc in the provincial capital of padang and eight other areas which has damaged nearly 700 homes, numerous bridges, schools, and 113 hectares of agriculture.
The indonesia's rescue agency is searching for the missing, officials said, with 150 rescuers have been called for the mission to help in searching for those who are missing due to blocked highways by landslides.
Abdul malik,the head of the provincial rescue team, said in a statement that "150 personnel from various disaster agencies are involved in today's search operation."
According to Abdul Muhari,the spokesperson for indonesia's disaster agency BNPB, those who were evacuated gathered in the nearest mosques, no temporary shelters were setup. They received food, medicines and water, while others returned their homes as waters receded.
He also added that there are still many areas in padang which are flooded. There are roads which are still blocked due to a landslide extending up to 50 metres in padang pariaman.
More rain is expected in the next few days, the agency issued a warning about further damage from landslides and floods.
When the rainy season started in January, the BMKG meteorological agency predicted a first-quarter peak, especially on the islands of Java and Sumatra.