Death toll rises in Indonesia flood and landslide disaster

The death toll is rising in Indonesia's West Sumatra province following floods and landslides triggered by heavy rainfall.

Ilham Wahab, spokesperson for the West Sumatra Disaster Management Agency, stated in a press release that 52 people have lost their lives in the flood-affected region.

Noting that the identities of 45 of the bodies have been confirmed so far, Wahab said that rescue teams, police, and military personnel are continuing search operations for the 17 missing individuals.

Reporting that 249 houses, 225 hectares of agricultural land, and a large portion of main roads were damaged as a result of the heavy rains, Wahab said, "In addition to searching for the missing, we will focus on clearing the mud and large rocks that the flood carried onto roads and residential areas."

A statement from the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) indicated that as of today, a total of 3,396 people have been evacuated, and the agency is distributing tents, blankets, food, hygiene kits, portable toilets, and water purification devices.

The heavy rains, which were effective on Saturday evening, caused not only floods and landslides in West Sumatra province but also cold lava flows consisting of volcanic ash and rock fragments around Mount Marapi.