Death toll in Aceh flood rises to 16
Death toll in Aceh flood rises to 16
Nani Afrida, The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh
The death toll from flash floods in Southeast Aceh regency
climbed to 16 on Thursday while seven people are still missing.
The flash floods, which happened on Tuesday night, were the
worst this year in term of fatalities after April flash floods in
the same regency which killed 15 people.
All the victims in Tuesday's floods came from five
subdistricts in Seumadam district, some 17 kilometers from
Kutacane, the capital of Southeast Aceh regency.
Rescuers were still searching for the missing persons as of
Thursday but their efforts were hampered by muddy fields, said
Indra Utama, the chairman of the Indonesian Red Cross' (PMI)
Southeast Aceh branch.
Besides those who are missing and who perished in the
disaster, 53 others are being treated at Sahuddin Hospital in
Kutacane city.
According to local government data, the flash floods on
Tuesday night damaged 900 houses and two schools. The disaster
also drove 1,750 residents from their homes to seek higher
ground. They are staying in Syahadat sports complex after earlier
staying temporarily in various mosques and a local airport.
The flash floods struck Seumadam district on Tuesday night
after heavy rain poured down in the area over the past week. The
floodwater brought mud, stones and logs along its way down to the
sea.
Meanwhile, environmental activists with the Indonesian Forum
for the Environment's (Walhi) Aceh chapter blamed road
construction between Titi Pasir area in Aceh and Bahorok area in
North Sumatra for the flash floods. Many trees were felled during
the road construction, leading to damage to the catchment area in
Leuser National Park in southern Aceh upper area. "The damage in
the catchment area has caused the flooding," said Dewa Gumay, the
head of Walhi's Advocacy and Campaign Division.
Tuesday's flash floods came after similar flooding in April in
Badar district, Southeast Aceh regency, which killed 15, wounded
18 and damaged 77 houses.