Floods hit Langkat, 92 killed<\/p>\n
Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Langkat, North Sumatra<\/p>\n
Flash floods ripped through a popular resort town in North
\nSumatra late Sunday night, killing at least 92 people, including
\nfive foreign tourists.<\/p>\n
Hundreds of others were missing feared dead, while downed
\ncommunication lines and demolished bridges hampered rescue
\nefforts, officials said on Monday.<\/p>\n
Around 420 houses, including five tourist cottages, were
\ndestroyed or damaged when floodwaters, mud, trees and other
\ndebris hit the Bukit Lawang resort in Bahorok subdistrict,
\nLangkat regency.<\/p>\n
The floods, triggered by days of heavy rains and severe
\ndeforestation, hit Bahorok, about 100 kilometers from the North
\nSumatra capital Medan, from 10 p.m. on Sunday till 1 a.m Monday.<\/p>\n
Bahorok river, which flows down from nearby mountains, and
\nsmaller rivers burst their banks and washed away residential
\nareas and dozens of guesthouses that host tourists in the area
\nfamous around the world as an orangutan rehabilitation center.<\/p>\n
The foreigners killed were identified by police only as
\nMathias and Lusi from the United States, Austria's Florian Lub,
\nSingapore's Tan Tek Kai and Eli from Germany. Their bodies were
\ntaken to the Adam Malik General Hospital in Medan.<\/p>\n
Also among the dead were a group of 20 domestic tourists from
\nWest Sumatra.<\/p>\n
Officials at the Bukit Lawang disaster handling task force
\nsaid they had found at least 92 bodies by late Monday evening,
\nwhile other sources put the death toll at more than 100.<\/p>\n
Most of the dead villagers could not be identified as they
\nwere not carrying identity cards.<\/p>\n
At least 67 people were injured and were being treated at the
\nDjulham Binjai General Hospital, the task force said.<\/p>\n
The number of dead will likely soar as a rescue team assisted
\nby hundreds of local police and government officials as well as
\nvillagers were searching for missing people, reportedly numbering
\nin the hundreds.<\/p>\n
The rescue workers removed the dead from the wreckage of
\ndestroyed buildings. Some other bodies were unearthed from mud or
\nunearthed under other debris.<\/p>\n
Survivors told The Jakarta Post that most of the dead were
\ndrowned, while others were killed as the floods and fallen trees
\nripped through their homes or cottages.<\/p>\n
At least five rivers in the subdistricts of Batang Serangan,
\nWampu, Bahorok, Tanjung Pura and Sawit Seberang overflowed after
\nthe rains. However, the worst floods came from the Bahorok river
\nthat runs through the township of Bahorok, home to around 43,109
\npeople.<\/p>\n
Deni, a 24-year old survivor, said the floods hit quickly as
\nmost people slept. The flooding demolished three bridges in
\nBahorok and houses near riverbanks, he said.<\/p>\n
\"The floods came at midnight. Floodwaters were at the height
\nof up to six meters above the river banks,\" he said, adding that
\n19 of his family members and relatives, including both sets of
\nparents, had drowned.<\/p>\n
Deni was rescued by villagers after six hours pinned beneath
\nlogs.<\/p>\n
Langkat Regent Syamsul Arifin visited the scene and expressed
\ncondolences to the victims, saying the floods were the worst ever
\nto hit the town.<\/p>\n
He blamed the disaster on severe deforestation in Mount Leuser
\nNational Park.<\/p>\n
\"The deforestation has continued unchecked by loggers from
\nwithin and outside Langkat. We have several times tried to stop
\nthem, but illegal logging continues,\" Arifin said.<\/p>\n
The government and Indonesian Military are widely known to
\nprofit from the trade but no concrete action is ever taken
\nagainst them, despite the political rhetoric.<\/p>\n
Also visiting the scene were North Sumatra Governor Tengku
\nRizal Nurdin, Bukit Barisan Military Commander Maj. Gen. Tri
\nTamtomo and North Sumatra Police chief Insp. Gen. Edy Sunarno.<\/p>\n
Hundreds of local villagers fled Bukit Lawang to take refuge
\nin safer areas in order to avoid the possibility of further
\nflooding. They were accommodated at several places like schools
\nand local government offices.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/floods-hit-langkat-92-killed-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}