Aceh flood claims 28 lives, tens missing
Aceh flood claims 28 lives, tens missing
Antara, Banda Aceh
The death toll from flash floods in Semadam district in Southeast
Aceh regency climbed to 28 on Monday and scores of others still
missing following a mud slide that struck the area on Oct. 18.
On Monday, a search was still underway for survivors by
security personnel, Indonesian Red Cross volunteers and local
residents.
According to an official at the Semadam district office, 18 of
the dead came from Simpang Semadam village and the other 10 were
from Lawe Beringin Gayo village.
The two villages were the worst hit in the disaster which also
struck four other villages and destroyed hundreds of hectares of
paddy field and corn plantations, as well as leaving at least 630
families homeless.
As of Monday, 28 badly injured victims were still being
treated at Kutacane General Hospital, some 12 km from the site of
the disaster, considered as the worst this year in term of
fatalities after April flash floods in the same regency which
killed 15 people.
Siti Nurhalizah, 34, a Simpang Semadam resident who was
seriously hurt in the disaster, said that she suffered the
injuries after being flushed out by the flood that arrived only
minutes after a thundering sound was heard in the distance.
"There was this thundering sound in the middle of heavy rain,
and suddenly mud rushed in, hitting the village houses," Siti
said.
Survivors of the disaster were currently taking shelter in
Kutacane's sport field and meeting hall as well as makeshift
tents.
Siti said the victims being treated at the hospital were
facing shortages of supplies as all of the relief aid was
centered at the makeshift posts, while the number of volunteers
was limited.
"The victims' family members have to take relief aid from the
posts on their own," she said.
Southeast Aceh Deputy Regent, Darmansyah Selian, said on
Monday that based on the search and rescue team data, the
disaster has claimed 20 lives and dozens more were still missing.
He denied charges that the flood was caused by widespread
illegal logging in the area. "It's not true that the flood in
Semadam was caused by illegal logging," he insisted.
He said that the forested area above Semadam district was part
of a protected forest where no logging was allowed.
"So the disaster was simply a disaster because of heavy rain
for one straight week," Darmansyah said.
Earlier, the Indonesian Environment Forum in Aceh had charged
that the flood was caused by illegal logging practices in the
area.
Deforestation is often blamed for causing floods. But the
latest report by the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
and the Indonesia-based Center for International Forestry
Research (CIFOR) found there is no scientific evidence linking
large-scale flooding with deforestation.