Indonesia flood death toll rises to 57 with 22 missing
Rescuers recovered more bodies on Tuesday after weekend flash floods and cold lava flow on Indonesia's Sumatra island killed at least 57 people and left another 22 missing, provincial officials said, AFP reports.
Hours of heavy rain caused large volcanic rocks to roll down one of Indonesia's most active volcanos into six districts on Sumatra island Saturday evening while flooding inundated roads, homes and mosques.
"To date, 57 victims have been found dead," Ilham Wahab, West Sumatra disaster mitigation agency official, told AFP, adding 22 people were still missing.
Workers cleaned up damaged buildings after the deluge while rescuers deployed a thermal drone to help the search, using excavators and their bare hands to try to find survivors in the rivers and rubble.
"For the emergency response, heavy equipment has moved to clean up the disaster areas. And after this, we will go to shelters to ensure affected communities are served well," national disaster mitigation agency (BNPB) chief Suharyanto told reporters Tuesday.
More than 3,300 people have also evacuated from the affected areas, according to authorities.
They warned the death toll could rise further as the search for the dozens missing continued.
