At least 41 people have now been confirmed dead after hours of torrential rain triggered flash floods and cold lava flow from a volcano in western Indonesia over the weekend.
By Sunday afternoon, rescuers had pulled out 19 bodies in the worst-hit village of Canduang and recovered another nine bodies in a neighbouring district. The floods blocked major roads with mud, cutting off access between towns. Some roads were turned into murky brown rivers. Heavy rains cause frequent landslides and flash floods in Indonesia, an archipelago nation of more than 17,000 islands.
A local disaster official told the AFP news agency that 17 other people remained missing after the rain on Saturday night swept ash and large rocks down Mount Marapi, the most active volcano on Sumatra island.
Cold lava, also known as lahar, is volcanic material such as ash, sand and pebbles carried down a volcano’s slopes by rain. The rain turned roads into muddy rivers, swept vehicles away and damaged homes and other buildings. Damage to the roads has hampered rescue efforts.
Two weeks earlier, at least 15 people have been reported killed after flooding and landslides struck Indonesia’s South Sulawesi province. More than 1,800 houses and mosques had been submerged by the waters by up to three meters, and a total of 103 houses were destroyed. Floods up to three meters (10ft) have affected 13 sub-districts as water and mud covered the area.
