Jakarta: At least 23 people were killed, while two others reportedly missing in flash floods and landslides that hit villages in Adonara Island in eastern Indonesia, an official said.
Raditya Jati, a spokesman for the national disaster mitigation agency, said heavy rainfall since Saturday caused the flooding that hit East Flores district of East Nusa Tenggara province at 1 a.m. on Sunday, dpa news agency reported.
Dozens of houses were buried by mud in Lamanele village, while in Waiburak village, floods swept away villagers’ homes and caused a bridge to collapse.
“Rescuers are still searching for the two missing people. The flooding also affected 49 households and injured nine villagers. The local disaster mitigation agency reported that heavy rains with strong winds are still occurring in the region,” Jati said.
Photographs shared by the disaster mitigation agency showed powerful currents flowing through a village, while the roads were scattered with debris left behind by the flooding.
Jati said aid and relief efforts for the affected villages were hampered by the absence of transportation to the island. It can only be reached by sea, but links have been suspended due to high waves and the severe weather conditions.
The climatology and meteorological agency predicted that some parts of Indonesia could face extreme weather with heavy and torrential rain, strong winds and large waves during the week ahead.