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Scores Killed In Indonesia Flooding

by Stefan Bos, Chief International Worthy News Correspondent

MEDAN, INDONESIA (Worthy News) – Authorities said Tuesday that at least 52 people were killed by flash floods and mudslides in Indonesia’s West Sumatra province, and more than 3,000 people have been evacuated.

The death toll was due to rise, with heavy rains expected until next week. Christians told Worthy News there has also been heavy flooding in Medan, a regional hub and the capital of neighboring North Sumatra province.

Witnesses said that residents in Medan’s Belawan district were seen struggling against tidal floods. Worthy News learned that authorities warned that the water could rise to 2.7 meters (8.9 feet) in some parts of Medan.

Back in West Sumatra, torrential rain triggered flash floods, landslides, and cold lava flows—a mud-like mixture of volcanic ash, rock debris, and water—in three districts in the province.

Witnesses said the cold lava flow, known in Indonesia as a lahar, came from Mount Marapi, one of Sumatra’s most active volcanoes.

More than 20 people were killed when Marapi erupted in December. A series of eruptions have followed since.

Of the 52 dead, more than 45 have been identified, West Sumatra disaster agency spokesman Ilham Wahab said. Local rescuers, police, and military said they will continue searching for 17 people who are still missing.

THOUSANDS EVACUATED

The head of the National Disaster and Management Agency BNPB, Suharyanto, said in a statement that 3,396 people were evacuated to nearby buildings as of Tuesday. BNPB has distributed tents, blankets, food, hygiene kits, portable toilets, and water purifiers, said Suharyanto, who uses a single name like many Indonesians.

Heavy rains in West Sumatra province are still expected until next week, said Dwikorita Karnawati, the head of Indonesia’s meteorology agency, BMKG. “This means that we need to be alert about the potential flash floods and landslides at least until May 17-22,” she said.

It came as horrific News for residents in areas where roads in the districts were turned into rivers, with mosques and houses damaged.

The National Disaster Mitigation Agency, or BNPB, said 84 homes, 16 bridges, and two mosques were damaged in Tanah Datar, as were 20 hectares (50 acres) of rice fields.

Survivors recounted their horror when the flooding and rockfall began. “I heard the thunder and the sound similar to boiling water. It was the sound of big rocks falling,” housewife Rina Devina told reporters, adding that three of her neighbors were killed.

“It was pitch black, so I used my cellphone as a flashlight. The road was muddy, so I chanted ‘God, have mercy!’ over and over again,” she said in remarks shared by French news agency AFP about her evacuation to a local official’s office.

Indonesia is prone to landslides and floods during the rainy season. In 2022, about 24,000 people were evacuated, and two children were killed in floods on Sumatra island, with environmental campaigners blaming deforestation caused by logging for worsening the disaster.