“Based on the information we have received, 34 people have lost their lives, 16 in Agam and 18 in Tanah Datar. Another 18 were injured,” while “we are still looking for 16 residents,” said local search and rescue agency spokesman Ilham Wahab.
At least 34 people are dead and another 16 are missing after floods and cold lava flows hit communities on the island of Sumatra in western Indonesia, a spokesman for the local search and rescue agency told AFP on Sunday.
The tragedy occurred yesterday Saturday, around 22:30 (local time; 18:30 Greek time), in the districts of Agam and Tanah Datar, in the western part of Sumatra, after hours of torrential rains, which caused flash floods and flows of cold lava from the nearby Marapi Volcano.
The term cold lava refers to magmas that form volcanic outcrops, especially ash, sand, and rock. When heavy rains occur, these materials sometimes turn into masses that rush down from the crater.
“Based on the information we have received, 34 people have lost their lives, 16 in Agam and 18 in Tanah Datar. Another 18 were injured,” while “we are still looking for 16 residents,” said local search and rescue agency spokesman Ilham Wahab.
According to the head of the local rescue service in Padang, Abdul Malik, three more victims have been recorded, but whose deaths have yet to be confirmed by the authorities.
Until yesterday, nine of the victims had been identified, among them two children aged three and eight, explained Abdul Malik.
The national disaster management agency (BNPB) said 84 houses, 16 bridges, two mosques and 20 rice paddies were damaged in Tanah Datar, which has a population of about 370,000.
Spokesman Ilham Wahab said authorities were still receiving missing person reports yesterday. He was unable to give the number of people who were rushed from their homes.
Landslides and floods often hit Indonesia during the rainy season. In March, 26 lives were lost due to landslides and floods in West Sumatra.
In 2022, some 24,000 residents were rushed from their homes and two children died in floods in Sumatra, where deforestation often makes rainfall more deadly, local environmentalists say.
Mount Marapi (“mountain of fire”, in local language) is one of the most active volcanoes in Indonesia. In December, a volcanic eruption claimed the lives of 24 people, mostly students.
Source :Skai
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