JakartaGlobe-Nov 30
Improved weather on Saturday helped rescuers on Indonesia’s Sumatra island recover more bodies as they struggled to reach several areas that were hit by landslides and flash floods that left more than 300 dead and scores missing. Parts of Sumatra, known for its lush rainforests, volcanoes, and mountain ranges, were cut off by damaged roads and downed communications lines, and relied on transport aircraft to deliver aid supplies. Rescue efforts were also hampered by a lack of heavy equipment. Monsoon rains over the past week caused rivers to burst their banks. The deluge tore through the mountainside village, swept away people, and submerged thousands of houses and buildings in the three provinces of North Sumatra, West Sumatra, and Aceh. The death toll in North Sumatra rose to 166, while 90 people died in West Sumatra. Rescuers also retrieved 47 bodies in Aceh, said Suharyanto, head of the National Disaster Management Agency. About 59,660 displaced families fled to temporary government shelters. Authorities used cloud seeding, which involves dispersing particles into clouds to create precipitation, to redirect rainfall away from the areas where search and rescue efforts were ongoing. In the Agam district in West Sumatra province, nearly 80 people were missing in three villages, buried under tons of mud and rocks. There was a desperate need for heavy equipment to reach possible survivors. Relatives wailed as they watched rescuers pull bodies from a buried house in Salareh Aia village. Images also showed massive piles of logs washed ashore on West Sumatra’s Air Tawar Beach, sparking public concern over possible illegal logging that may have contributed to the disaster. In Aceh province, on the northern tip of Sumatra, authorities had difficulty deploying tractors and other heavy equipment. Hundreds of police, soldiers, and residents dug through the debris with bare hands, shovels, and hoes as heavy rain pounded the region. It was the latest natural disaster to hit Indonesia, which is frequently struck by earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and tsunamis because of its location on the “Ring of Fire,” an arc of volcanoes and fault lines in the Pacific Basin. Read more at: https://jakartaglobe.id/news/death-toll-from-sumatra-floods-and-landslides-tops-300
