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.