Landslides, floods kill 49 in West Sumatra<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Massive floods and landslides resulting from
\ndays of torrential rain and storms in West Sumatra have claimed
\nat least 49 lives with dozens of others reported missing and
\nfeared dead.<\/p>\n
The disaster left most of the regencies here crippled with
\nelectricity blackouts and closed main highways throughout the
\nprovince.<\/p>\n
A mudslide in Talu village, Pasaman regency on Sunday buried
\nfive houses, leaving five people dead, two injured and 14 others
\nmissing, Antara reported.<\/p>\n
In Talawi village, Sepuluh Koto Tarusan district, in Pesisir
\nSelatan regency, five people were swept away in the strong
\ncurrent of the overflowing Batang Tarusan river and are feared
\ndead. Residents said 12 others were still missing.<\/p>\n
A mudslide also covered Calao village in Bayang district on
\nSaturday, killing five residents, while 23 others were declared
\nmissing.<\/p>\n
In Padang mayoralty, three people were reportedly swept away
\nin the river that flows through the city, and are presumed dead,
\nwhile eight others were seriously injured after being buried
\nunder a mudslide.<\/p>\n
Five people were killed, 20 others went missing and 85 people
\nwere unaccounted for after flooding and a mudslide in the Malalo
\ndistrict in the town of Singkarak, Tanah Datar regency.<\/p>\n
In Padang Pariaman regency, six bodies were recovered in
\nseparate locations, three from the Limau river, two in Lubuk
\nAlung and one in the area south of here. Residents of the regency
\nalso said that 11 people were seriously injured.<\/p>\n
Strong river currents also killed one person in the Batang
\nLembang area of Solok mayoralty.<\/p>\n
An official with the West Sumatra administration predicted
\nthat some 60,000 people in the disaster-hit areas could soon face
\nfamine if the rain continued.<\/p>\n
He said the persistent, heavy rain and storms across the
\nprovince had hampered search and rescue teams in conducting
\nrelief operations. The total material losses in the province's
\nnine mayoralties and regencies affected by the flood had reached
\nRp 350 billion, he added.<\/p>\n
Rescue teams were still unable to reach eight villages in the
\nhardest-hit regency of Pesisir Selatan on Sunday due to the
\nrising water levels which had already reached five meters. Some
\n12,000 residents were feared to be trapped in the locations.<\/p>\n
Rescuers predicted that the number of fatalities were likely
\nto climb as the storms were continuing and they had not yet been
\nable to search all of the disaster-hit villages, a local reporter
\nsaid on Sunday.<\/p>\n
\"Mud floods have also killed at least 5,000 head of cattle, as
\nwell as chickens and goats,\" the reporter told The Jakarta Post
\nby phone.<\/p>\n
Also destroyed were 9,600 hectares of rice and irrigated
\nfields, with at least seven bridges being swept away by the
\nfloodwaters.<\/p>\n
The erosion resulting from the floods has caused the
\nsubsidence of some 60 kilometers of the road connecting Solok and
\nPadang with water reaching as high as one meter in several
\nplaces.<\/p>\n
There is no official data on the number of refugees but
\nresidents from the disaster-hit areas have abandoned their
\nvillages and sought shelter in local administration buildings.<\/p>\n
\"People here are terrified as it is still raining and it gets
\npretty dark at night since PLN (state-owned electricity company)
\nhas switched off the power in most areas,\" Ita Risman, a resident
\nof downtown Padang told the Post.<\/p>\n
The areas worst hit by mud floods were Pesisir Selatan and
\nTanah Datar regencies and Padang and Solok mayoralties.<\/p>\n
Floods also hit Aceh, following incessant rain since
\nWednesday, private television station SCTV reported on Sunday.<\/p>\n
At least five people were killed by floods in Bireun and North
\nAceh regencies,Antara news agency reported.<\/p>\n
The disaster, said to be the worst since 1953, has cut
\nelectricity supplies and telephone lines as well as several
\nhighways in the province.<\/p>\n
West Sumatra's two neighboring provinces have also suffered
\nthe impacts of the rain heavily poured Sumatra island over the
\npast week.<\/p>\n
In Jambi, the floods destroyed around 3,500 hectares of rice
\nfields and homes of residents of four regencies in Kerinci
\ndistrict.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile in Bengkulu, houses in at least three regencies were
\nsoaked by water up to 1.5 meter height following three days of
\nrain. (bby\/edt\/lup)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/landslides-floods-kill-49-in-west-sumatra-1447893297",
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