The search for 35 missing individuals in Indonesia’s West Sumatra province continues as the death toll from the devastating weekend floods and mudslides rises to 58. The disaster, triggered by heavy rain on Saturday evening, resulted in flash floods, landslides, and cold lava flow in three districts and one town in the province.
The cold lava flow, known as lahar, originated from Mount Marapi, one of Sumatra’s most active volcanoes. The eruption of Marapi in December claimed more than 20 lives, with subsequent eruptions occurring since then.
The national disaster and management agency, BNPB, is focusing its search efforts on areas near rivers and clearing main roads of debris brought by the floods. Video footage shared by BNPB shows the extent of the damage, with logs, rocks, and mud strewn across roads in Tanah Datar district, along with collapsed bridges and houses.
Local residents, along with rescuers, police, and military personnel, are working together to clean houses and mosques from mud. Excavators have been deployed to remove large rocks and trees in some settlements.
At least 249 houses, 225 hectares of land, 19 bridges, and main roads have been damaged in the affected areas. Indonesia’s meteorology agency, BMKG, plans to conduct cloud seeding to mitigate heavy rainfall expected in the coming week and prevent further devastation in West Sumatra.
The community is coming together to support one another during this challenging time, as efforts continue to locate the missing individuals and rebuild the affected areas.