INDONESIA STEPS UP SEARCH FOR VICTIMS AFTER FLOODS AND LANDSLIDES CLAIM 69 LIVES. (PHOTO).

 Indonesia steps up search for victims after floods and landslides claim 69 lives

MEDAN, INDONESIA - Rescuers continued searching Thursday through rivers and village debris for bodies and possible survivors after flash floods and landslides devastated parts of Indonesia’s Sumatra island, leaving at least 69 people dead and 59 missing.

Monsoon rains over the past week caused rivers in North Sumatra province to overflow on Tuesday, sweeping through mountainside villages, submerging more than 2,000 homes and buildings, and forcing nearly 5,000 residents to flee to government shelters. Provincial police spokesperson Ferry Walintukan said the death toll in North Sumatra had reached 37 as more bodies were recovered, while rescue efforts for 52 missing residents were hampered by mudslides, blackouts, and disrupted communications. Among the fatalities, 17 bodies were recovered in South Tapanuli district, eight in Sibolga city, and at least five in Central Tapanuli, including a family of four. Additional casualties were reported in Pakpak Bharat, Humbang Hasundutan, and on Nias Island. Walintukan warned the death toll could rise as many remote areas remain unreachable.

Television footage showed rescue teams using jackhammers, saws, farm tools, and bare hands to dig through mud, rocks, and fallen trees. Rubber boats were deployed to navigate flooded rivers, rescuing children and older residents stranded on rooftops.

Floods also struck other provinces on Sumatra, including Aceh and West Sumatra. In Central Aceh, landslides killed at least nine people, while nearly 47,000 residents were displaced and 1,500 moved to temporary shelters. In West Sumatra, over 3,300 homes in the Padang Pariaman district were submerged, forcing 12,000 residents into shelters. At least 23 deaths were reported in the province, including six in the Lumin Park area of Padang. In the Tanah Datar district, rescue teams recovered seven bodies from flash-flood debris near Anai Valley Waterfall, and volunteers in the Agam district found 10 bodies in Malalak village, where five residents remain missing.

Survivors described harrowing escapes. Lingga Sari, a resident of Malalak, recalled fleeing with her 1-year-old child as floodwaters surged past homes and rice fields. Agam district chief Benny Warlis said about 200 residents remain isolated in landslide-hit Jorong Taboh village, with access completely blocked and officials unable to verify the full extent of casualties and homelessness.

Heavy seasonal rainfall from October through March often causes flooding and landslides in Indonesia, where millions live in mountainous regions or along fertile flood plains across the archipelago’s 17,000 islands.