Tanah Datar, May 13, 2024, Flash floods and mudslides in Indonesia's West Sumatra province killed at least 43 people over the past weekend, and a search for 15 missing people is going on, Indonesian authorities said on Monday.
Torrential rain Saturday evening triggered flash floods, landslides, and cold lava flow - a mixture of volcanic ash, rock debris, and water - in three districts in West Sumatra province, Abdul Malik, chief of the provincial rescue team, told Reuters.
The cold lava flow, known in Indonesia as a "lahar", came from Mount Marapi, one of Sumatra's most active volcanos. In December, the Marapi eruption killed over 20 people. A series of eruptions have followed since.
"Cold lava flow and flash floods have always threatened us recently. However, the problem is, they always happen late at night until dawn," Abdul Malik said.
He added that roughly 400 personnel, including rescuers, police, and military, were deployed to search for the missing people on Monday, using at least eight excavators and drones.
The National Disaster and Management Agency BNPB said that some 200 houses were damaged and 178 acres of land, including rice fields, were affected. At least 159 people from the Agam district were evacuated to nearby schools.
Footage shared by BNPB showed roads and rice fields covered by mud, the wreckage of damaged homes and buildings, and logs and large rocks brought into settlements.
Eko Widodo, a 43-year-old survivor, said: "The flooding was sudden, and the river became blocked, which resulted in the flow of water everywhere, and it was out of control."