Indonesia said at least 21 people were killed and 80,000 more were displaced by floods and landslides that hit several regions in West Sumatra province after days of torrential rains.
The floods left seven people missing and damaged more than 650 houses, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency, know as BNPB, said in a statement Sunday. In Padang Pariaman regency, a road was still blocked by a landslide as of Saturday afternoon.
Indonesia's rescue agency is hunting for those missing, officials said, with 150 rescuers drafted into the effort, hampered by blocked roads following the landslides.
"Today's search involves 150 personnel from various disaster agencies," Abdul Malik, the chief of the provincial rescue team, said in a statement.
Those evacuated gathered in the nearest mosques, said Abdul Muhari, the spokesperson of Indonesia's disaster agency BNPB, but no temporary shelters were set up. They received food, water and medicines, while others returned home as waters subsided.
As many as 26 bridges, 25 schools and 113 hectares of farming land were damaged because of the floods. The agency warned the local government and citizens to be on the alert for floods as rain is still expected in the provincial capital of Padang on Sunday.
Indonesia’s weather agency had warned that extreme weather such as sudden thunderstorms may occur during March and April in many regions after February’s peak rainy season.
A drone view shows a residential area affected by floods due to heavy rains in Padang, West Sumatra province, Indonesia on Friday. (Antara Foto/Iggoy el Fitra/ via REUTERS)