Flash flood kills three in Sumatra, damages 25 houses in Malang

Apriadi Gunawan and Wahjoe Boediwardhana, The Jakarta Post, Medan/Malang

Flooding returned across the archipelago on Monday with three people killed in South Tapanuli regency and 25 houses damaged in the South Malang area of East Java province.

Besides claiming three lives, the flooding in South Tapanuli, some 300 kilometers south of Medan, also left one person missing and another injured. Until Monday evening, local residents and police personnel were continuing the search for the missing person, who was believed to have been swept away by the strong current.

Amron, the chief of Binasari hamlet, the hardest hit area, said the flash flood swept his area on Saturday evening after heavy rain. The flash flood descended from nearby forest areas, making it hard for the three persons to run for cover.

"They died after being hit by logs coming down from the hill," said Amron.

South Tapanuli regent Ongku Parmonangan Hasibuan went to the hamlet on Sunday to help organize relief and reconstruction efforts. The regent also handed over food aid and instructed his subordinates to draw up a plan for reconstruction in the affected areas. Several houses and public facilities such as schools were damaged in the flooding. The flash flooding also cut several main roads in the South Tapanuli regency.

Separately in Malang regency, at least 25 houses in its southern area were damaged after flooding hit the area on Monday. The flooding, which happened after heavy rain on Sunday, also cut a main road in the area. Parts of the road in the Sumber Trangkil subdistrict had collapsed due to the flooding, leaving them impassable, said a local police officer.

Despite the damage, no fatalities were reported.