Jakarta [Indonesia], November 30: The death toll from the floods and landslides that have ravaged three provinces on the Indonesian island of Sumatra rose sharply on Saturday, as emergency crews struggled to reach isolated communities cut off by collapsed roads, destroyed bridges and continuing heavy rain.
The National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) said 303 people had been confirmed dead, up from 174 reported a day earlier, after days of relentless rainfall triggered widespread flooding and catastrophic slope failures across North Sumatra, West Sumatra and Aceh.
"The situation is still developing," BNPB chief Suharyanto said at a news conference, warning that the figures could increase as rescuers gain access to areas still unreachable.
North Sumatra has suffered the heaviest losses with 166 dead and 143 missing, while West Sumatra has reported 90 dead and 85 missing, and Aceh has recorded 47 deaths, 51 people missing and eight injured, Suharyanto said.
Across the three provinces, floods and landslides have inundated or damaged dozens of districts, forcing thousands to flee their homes.
President Prabowo Subianto expressed condolences and said the government had been deploying emergency assistance by air and land, although severe weather and damaged infrastructure had slowed operations. "Conditions are extremely difficult," he said in a speech in Jakarta on Friday. "Many routes are cut off and the weather is still unfavourable. Sometimes our helicopters and aircraft cannot land." The government has dispatched three C-130 Hercules aircraft and an Airbus A400M to deliver aid and equipment, along with helicopters to reach remote valleys where landslides have sealed off entire communities.
Aid agencies say heavy rainfall is expected to continue in the coming days. Indonesia's meteorological agency has blamed the disaster partly on intense monsoon conditions amplified by a tropical weather system over the Andaman Sea.
Indonesia, an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands, experiences some of the heaviest rainfall in the world. Floods and landslides are common during the rainy season, which typically peaks from November to March. Many rural communities in Sumatra sit along steep river valleys or forested hillsides, areas highly vulnerable to landslides once rainfall exceeds normal levels.
Source: Qatar Tribune
