Brian McDonald
Flooding and a landslide hit the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, killing at least 14 people, authorities said Saturday.
Torrential rains that have hit the area since Thursday triggered a landslide in Luwu district in South Sulawesi province, local rescue chief Mexianus Bekabel said.
Flooding of up to 3 meters (10 feet) affected 13 sub-districts as water and mud covered the area. More than 1,000 homes were affected, with 42 of them destroyed.
A search and rescue team worked to evacuate residents using rubber boats and other vehicles. More than 100 residents have been moved to mosques or relatives’ homes outside the affected area, National Disaster Management Agency spokesman Abdul Muhari said on Saturday.
Seasonal rains trigger frequent landslides and floods in Indonesia, a chain of 17,000 islands where millions of people live in mountainous areas or fertile floodplains.
In March, torrential rains caused flash floods and landslides on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, killing at least 19 people and leaving 7 others missing, authorities said. Rescue teams removed bodies in the worst-hit village, Koto XI Tarusan, and recovered others in two neighboring villages, National Disaster Management Agency spokesman Doni Yusrizal said. Some were still missing.
He said 46,000 people fled to a temporary government shelter after flooding and landslides buried 14 homes, while 20,000 homes were flooded to the roof.
In 2023, a landslide caused by torrential rain killed at least 11 people and left dozens of other people missing on an island in Indonesia’s remote Natuna regency, disaster officials said. Tons of mud fell from the surrounding hills onto houses in the village of Serasan in Natuna. Rescuers have recovered at least 11 bodies and authorities fear the death toll will rise, National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman Abdul Muhari said.
