Landslides and floods ravage Sumatra, 17 dead six missing

Torrential rains triggered deadly landslides and flash floods across Indonesia’s Sumatra island, killing at least 17 people and leaving six others missing, authorities reported Wednesday. Rescue teams are struggling to reach remote villages as rivers overflow and debris from mudslides blocks roads and bridges.

The disasters struck six regencies in North Sumatra province, where heavy monsoon rains caused rivers to burst their banks, sweeping away homes, uprooting trees, and carrying rocks and mud down hilly slopes. In the hardest-hit city of Sibolga, rescuers recovered five bodies and assisted three injured people while searching for four others reported missing. Six landslides in the city had already flattened 17 houses and a café, forcing authorities to set up emergency shelters and urge residents in high-risk areas to evacuate immediately.

In Central Tapanuli district, landslides destroyed several homes, claiming the lives of at least four family members, while floods submerged nearly 2,000 houses. South Tapanuli saw seven more deaths as floods and landslides uprooted trees and forced more than 2,800 residents to flee to temporary shelters, injuring 58 others, according to Abdul Muhari, spokesperson for the National Disaster Mitigation Agency. North Tapanuli district also reported landslides affecting 50 houses and the destruction of at least two major bridges.

Flooding further disrupted Mandailing Natal district and neighboring Padang Sidempuan city, submerging hundreds of houses and blocking roads on Nias island. Videos circulating on social media show water cascading over rooftops while residents scramble to safety, with some streets transformed into fast-moving torrents carrying debris and tree trunks.

Sibolga police chief Eddy Inganta said that bad weather and unstable terrain have hindered rescue efforts, leaving access to some areas extremely difficult. “Rescuers are facing harsh conditions, but operations continue,” he said.

These disasters came just a day after the National Disaster Mitigation Agency officially ended relief operations in two areas of Central Java, where landslides caused by torrential rains had killed 38 people. Seasonal heavy rains from October to March often cause flooding and landslides in Indonesia, an archipelago of over 17,000 islands, where millions live in mountainous regions or near fertile floodplains.