Three missing in North Sumatra floods

MEDAN, North Sumatra: At least three people are missing and feared dead after floods hit several areas across North Sumatra, following days of incessant rain over the weekend, officials said on Thursday.

They said the floods also inundated hundreds of houses there as rivers burst their banks.

The three missing victims are all elementary school students. Two of the boys who are missing, Bayu and Jimmi, are from the town of Tebing Tinggi, and the third is a resident of the provincial capital of Medan.

Bayu and Jimmi are believed to have drowned in the overflowed Padang river, while the third has reportedly drowned in floodwaters from the Deli River on Sunday.

As of Thursday, their bodies had not been found.

Officers of the local Search and Rescue Team (SAR), along with villagers in Tebing Tinggi, were searching for the missing victims.

Deputy North Sumatra Governor Sofyan Nasution said the death toll could increase as he heard that floods in Central Tapanuli and Sibolga regencies also claimed lives.

"I will check the number of fatalities directly from the field," he said.

Early last month, at least 157 people died and 82 others went missing and are still unaccounted for when a flash flood ripped through the resort town of Bahorok, North Sumatra. --JP