Indonesia

Indonesian rescuers hunt for dozens missing after floods kill 36

Agence France-Presse

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Indonesian rescuers hunt for dozens missing after floods kill 36

RESCUE. In this picture taken on July 16, 2020 rescuers evacuate a survivor to a safe place in North Luwu, South Sulawesi, after several rivers burst their banks after torrential rains pounded the region.

PHOTO by HARIANDI HAFID / AFP

More than 14,000 are left homeless by deadly flash floods in Sulawesi island

Rescuers pulled bodies from under mud and debris Friday, July 17, as they raced to find dozens still missing after flash floods killed at least 36 people on Indonesia’s Sulawesi island.

More than 14,000 people left homeless by the disaster have taken refuge at temporary shelters in hard-hit North Luwu regency, with the country’s search and rescue agency hunting for 66 people still unaccounted for.

Several rivers burst their banks after torrential rains pounded the region Monday, sparking the deadly flash floods.

On Friday, officials said at least 36 people had died in the disaster, following the retrieval of more bodies.

They also raised previous missing victim figures from a dozen to more than 60, citing new reports from concerned relatives.

“The chances of finding them alive are slim as we’ve been searching for 4 days now and it’s a difficult situation in the field,” Andi Mukti, coordinator of North Luwu’s search-and-rescue team, told Agence France-Presse (AFP).

“There’s thick mud up two meters (6 feet) high.”

The search would still continue through the weekend, he added.

Several thousand houses as well as government offices and public facilities were engulfed by mud from the floods.

This week, desperate residents searched through their homes for pots and pans and other belongings to take to the temporary shelters in flood-prone North Luwu.

In January, record rains triggered flooding and landslides that killed nearly 70 people in and around Indonesia’s capital Jakarta, which is on neighboring Java island.

The Southeast Asian archipelago is regularly hit by floods during the rainy season. – Rappler.com

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