- Floods and landslides occurred in four districts due to torrential rains.
- 11 people died due to landslides, 4 more people died in the flood.
- Road access is cut off; Heavy equipment deployed for search.
JAKARTA: Indonesian aid workers are searching for seven people who are still missing in North Sumatra province four days after torrential rains killed 15 people in floods and mudslides, an official said on Tuesday.
Disaster agency spokesman Abdul Mehri said mudslides killed 11 people in Karoo district, Padang Laos district and Tapanuli Selatan district, and four more died in floods in Deli Sardang district after bad weather hit Saturday. done
About 100 rescuers, along with the police and the army, were searching for the seven missing people, but were being hampered by continuous rain, Abdul said.
He said that it is raining from afternoon to evening. This is the biggest obstacle while we are trying to find the missing persons, he said, adding that the search will continue till Saturday.
Landslides and floods damaged houses, mosques and rice fields. Road access to several villages was cut off, and excavators were being used to search for victims and missing persons.
The disaster agency warned people in North Sumatra province to brace for possible flooding in the coming weeks as more heavy rains are forecast, Abdul said.
Landslides occur frequently in Indonesia, especially during the rainy season. The risk of landslides is often exacerbated by deforestation and small-scale illegal mining operations in remote districts.