Deadly landslide, sudden flood on Java island of Indonesia. news
More than 170 villages in Sukabumi, West Java, have been destroyed by torrential rains, landslides and floods.
Indonesian rescue workers have recovered 10 bodies that were swept away by flash floods in mountainous villages on the country’s main island of Java, officials said, with two people still missing.
Torrential rains over the past week have caused rivers to burst their banks, flooding more than 170 villages in Sukabumi district in West Java province as mud, rocks and trees fell on mountainous settlements, Lt. Col. Yudi Haryanto, who heads a rescue command post in Sukabumi, said on Monday.
Landslides, flash floods and strong winds destroyed 172 villages and forced more than 3,000 people to flee to temporary government shelters, Haryanto said. Authorities have warned about 1,000 people to evacuate as more than 400 homes are at risk from the extreme weather.
The disasters also destroyed 31 bridges, 81 roads and 539 hectares (1,332 acres) of rice fields, while 1,170 houses were flooded to their roofs.
The local disaster management agency said the extreme weather also damaged more than 3,300 other homes and buildings.
Haryanto said rescue workers on Monday pulled out 10 bodies, including three children, from the hardest-hit villages of Tegelbulud, Simpanan and Simas, and rescue workers were searching for two villagers who are reportedly still missing.
Videos circulated on social media showed flash floods caused by heavy rains in Sukabumi swept away almost everything in their path, including cars, motorcycles, buffaloes and cows.
Roads turned into muddy brown rivers and villages covered in thick mud, rocks and uprooted trees, footage released by West Java’s search and rescue agency showed soldiers, police and rescue workers wading through a ravaged village covered in mud. The dead bodies have been taken out.
The archipelago of 17,000 islands is bracing for severe weather, as state meteorologists have detected three tropical cyclone systems that could bring heavy rainfall to different areas.
Extreme weather is expected to affect areas of western and eastern Indonesia over the next few days, causing significant rainfall and high waves.
Last month, at least 29 people died in flash floods and landslides in North Sumatra province. Flash floods hit the provincial city of Medan, delaying votes for regional elections in some areas.
