Monitoring Desk
JAKARTA: At least eleven people were killed, and several were missing after torrential rains and landslides hit one of Indonesia’s outermost islands on Monday, said the country’s disaster agency.
A spokesperson of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency, Abdul Muhari, said on Kompas TV that 11 body bags had been filled” and “50 persons are estimated missing”.
Meanwhile, Xinhua news agency reported that landslides occurred in the western Riau Islands province of Indonesia on Monday, leaving at least ten dead and several missing, a rescue official stated in a statement.
The spokesman of the National Disaster Management Agency, Abdul Muhari, said that heavy rains and unstable soil conditions were responsible for the natural disaster in the Natuna Regency of the province.
“The number of casualties may increase,” said Junainah, head of the Emergency Unit of the local disaster management and mitigation agency. He said that the search and rescue operation for the victims is still underway.
Indonesia’s authorities launch search and rescue operation
Junainah also said poor weather conditions and poor telecommunication access hampered the rescue operation.
Responding to the disaster, the rescue and search office in Natuna Regency had deployed a rescue team to the scene, Yusuf Latief, the spokesman of the national rescue and search office, told Xinhua news agency by phone.
The team consists of personnel from the local disaster management agency, soldiers, police officers, and firefighters.
“The team is now on its way to the area by ship, but unfavorable weather conditions and huge waves hampered their access to the scene,” Latief said.
