 |
| Landslides in Java killed over 100 people last
month |
Floods
and landslides triggered by days of torrential rain have
left at least 49 people dead in the Indonesian province
of West Sumatra.
Since the rains began last Monday, thousands of hectares
of paddy fields have been flooded and major provincial roads
cut off.
The
official Antara news agency said the worst landslides struck
early on Saturday in the Pesisir Celatan and Tanah Datar
districts, killing at least 42 people and engulfing dozens
of villages in mud.
The
death toll is expected to rise as rescuers continue the
search for residents.
Power
cuts
The
provincial capital Padang was also cut off by flood waters
on Saturday, and its Tabing airport was unusable because
the runway was inundated.
The
Media Indonesia daily reported that heavy rains and typhoons
had knocked down an electricity tower on Saturday, cutting
power to several parts of West Sumatra and neighbouring
Riau.
In four
districts in the province, thousands of people have been
evacuated to safer ground.
West
Sumatra's public works office says it could take up to a
month to clear and repair roads.
Deforestation
The
floods have also affected areas around Banda Aceh, the capital
of Aceh province in the north-west of Sumatra island. Rivers
have also overflowed in Lhokseumawe in North Aceh.
Floods
and landslides struck Indonesia's main island of Java last
month, when at least 119 people lost their lives.
Monsoon
rains in Indonesia frequently lead to landslides in areas
where land has been weakened by deforestation.
|
