Indonesia’s JAKARTA (AP) — On a remote island in Indonesia’s Natuna region on Monday, a landslide triggered by excessive rain killed at least 11 people and left dozens more missing, according to disaster officials.
On top of the homes in Serasan village in Natuna, tons of mud fell from the surrounding hills. At least 11 bodies have been found by rescuers, and authorities worry the number may climb, according to National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokeswoman Abdul Muhari.
Muhari stated that “many people who need help have not been reached since we still have trouble entering the impacted areas,” adding that the number of people still missing was thought to be around 50 by the authorities.
According to Junainah, who oversees emergency relief activities at the regional disaster agency, dozens of military, police, and volunteers joined the search in the village on a secluded island surrounded by rough waters and tall waves in the Natuna group at the edge of the South China Sea.
The rescue operations were being hampered by downed communications lines and inclement weather, according to Junainah, who goes by one name.
In Indonesia, a chain of 17,000 islands where millions of people live in mountainous regions or in productive flood plains, seasonal downpours frequently cause landslides and floods.
