Jakarta — Rescue teams in western Indonesia used heavy machinery to search through the wreckage left by severe flooding and landslides that claimed at least 27 lives, according to the national disaster agency. In North Sumatra, five people who had been reported missing were found dead, their bodies recovered from beneath a large pile of mud and debris, a spokesperson for the agency said in a statement.

Heavy rainfall in North Sumatra over the past week triggered flash floods and landslides across four districts. A landslide in a village in Deli Serdang on Wednesday killed seven people and injured 20 more, according to Hadi Wahyudi, a spokesperson for the North Sumatra police.

Rescue teams are focusing on finding those trapped in vehicles, including the minibus, which was caught in a mudslide on a hilly interprovince road. Hadi said it is difficult to estimate how many people were affected by the disaster.

In the search efforts that began over the weekend, 20 bodies have been recovered so far, but two people remain missing. "Today, our main priority is to locate the missing individuals and clear the roads blocked by landslides," Hadi said, adding that excavators were deployed to assist with the efforts.

The landslides and floods caused significant damage, destroying homes, mosques, and rice fields. Additionally, the heavy rains triggered flooding in Medan, the provincial capital, delaying voting at some polling stations for a regional election.

Experts warn that extreme weather is expected to continue in Indonesia, with the La Nina weather phenomenon set to increase rainfall across the country towards the end of 2024.

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