Floods and landslides in Indonesia kill at least 20 people, with fears more victims could be discovered beneath the rubble

Jakarta Rescuers in western Indonesia used heavy equipment on Tuesday to dig out floods and landslides that killed at least 20 people last weekend, the national disaster agency said. The bodies of five people reported missing have been recovered from a mountain of mud and rubble in North Sumatra, agency spokesman Abdul Muhari said in a statement.

“All victims were found dead,” he said on Tuesday, adding that a total of 10 people had been killed in a landslide in Karo district.

From Saturday, four districts in northern Sumatra were hit by heavy rain, causing deadly floods and landslides.

Juspri Nadeak, disaster chief in the worst-hit Karo district, said the discovery of victims who have not yet been reported missing to authorities remains a possibility.

“The landslide area provides access to hot springs, so there is a chance that tourists will be affected,” he told AFP on Tuesday. “We are still clearing the mud and debris from the landslide as we anticipate the possibility of discovering more victims.”

In a village in Deli Serdang district, where four people were found dead and two more missing, piles of mud, logs and stones were scattered across the village where a rescue operation was underway.

“The electricity has been cut off and there is no mobile phone reception, making it difficult for us as rescuers to communicate,” Iman Sitorus, a spokesman for the local search and rescue agency, told AFP.

Authorities also deployed heavy equipment to clear the rubble, he said.

The death toll rose to 20 on Tuesday after the discovery of the five bodies in Karo district. The remaining victims were found in the districts of South Tapanuli, Padang Lawas and Deli Serdang.

Indonesia has experienced a series of recent extreme weather events, which experts say have become more likely, more severe and less predictable climate change.

In May, at least 67 people died after a mixture of ash, sand and pebbles from the eruption of Mount Marapi in West Sumatra washed into residential areas. cause flash floods.

Man-made climate change has doubled the chance of violent storms, such as the one that hit Indonesia this week, and the one that turned the streets in the eastern Spanish region of Spain. Valencia in raging rivers earlier this month, according to a partial analysis released Oct. 31 by the World Weather Attribution group, which consists of dozens of international scientists who research the role of global warming in extreme weather.