Indonesia floods kill 16, force hundreds to flee homes immediately

Indonesia – (Special Correspondent / Web Desk) – Heavy rainfall struck Indonesia’s Siau Island, triggering a sudden flash flood that claimed at least 16 lives, with three more reported missing, officials said Tuesday.

The overflowing river inundated four towns on the small island north of Sulawesi on Monday, according to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency.

“Sixteen people have died due to the flash flood,” agency spokesman Abdul Muhari said, adding that search teams are still looking for the three missing. He reported 22 injuries and nearly 700 residents displaced.

The flash flood was caused by intense early-morning rainfall, which rapidly swelled the river.

Images shared by the search and rescue agency showed big rocks and uprooted trees that were swept away.

The flood cut off access to some roads and damaged dozens of homes as well as public buildings and infrastructure, the spokesman said.

Floods are common in Indonesia during the rainy season, which typically lasts between October and March.

Tropical storms and intense monsoon rains have pummelled parts of South and Southeast Asia late last year, triggering deadly landslides and floods from the rainforests of Indonesia’s Sumatra to highland plantations in Sri Lanka.

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Indonesian authorities say at least 1,178 people were killed in Sumatra, and more than 240,000 displaced.

While the annual monsoon season often brings heavy rain to Indonesia, the Sumatra deluge in November was among the worst disasters to strike the island since a magnitude-9.1 earthquake triggered a massive tsunami in 2004.