Flash flooding following heavy rainfall has hit Indonesia's North Maluku province. Several people have died in the landslide, and searches are underway for several missing people.
Flash flooding and mudslides hit the Indonesian province of North Maluku on Ternate island on Sunday, with authorities reporting 13 dead and two injured immediately after the disaster. “We are still searching for six people,” said official Fathul Rahman.
“Our rescue team is still trying to evacuate people who were affected by landslides and building materials carried away by the flood,” Bram Madya Temara, an official at the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas), said earlier.
Heaps of mud fell on buildings and roads
The national disaster management agency BNPB said 10 homes were severely damaged. Photos from the landslide site showed mudflats that swept away several residential buildings and blocked a main road and access to the village of Rua, in a mountainous area.
Flash flood on Ternate IslandPAP/EPA/INDONESIAN RESCUE AGENCY BASARNAS
Flash flood on Ternate IslandPAP/EPA/INDONESIAN RESCUE AGENCY BASARNAS / HANDOUT
Heavy rainfall has continued in the region since Saturday afternoon.
Flash flood on Ternate IslandPAP/EPA/INDONESIAN RESCUE AGENCY BASARNAS / HANDOUT
Downpours are causing frequent landslides and flash floods in Indonesia, where millions of people live in mountains or near floodplains. In May, floods and mudslides killed more than 60 people in West Sumatra province.
Main image source: PAP/EPA/INDONESIAN RESCUE AGENCY BASARNAS / HANDOUT