Indonesia races to evacuate Sumatra residents as flood deaths soar to 34 | Weather News

More than 8,000 people have been evacuated in northern Sumatra and roads are still blocked by landslide debris.

At least 34 people have died after torrential rains triggered floods and landslides in Indonesia’s North Sumatra province, officials said, as rescue efforts were hampered by what one official described as a “complete cutoff” of roads and communications.

North Sumatra regional police spokesman Ferry Walintukan told the Detik news website that in addition to the confirmed deaths, at least 52 people were missing as of Thursday.

A rare tropical cyclone struck Indonesia’s Sumatra island, flooding the nearby Strait of Malacca and causing floods and landslides, the country’s meteorological agency said on Wednesday, while much of Southeast Asia grappled with deadly flooding.

Abdul Muhari, spokesman for the country’s disaster mitigation agency, said on Thursday that more than 8,000 people had been evacuated across northern Sumatra and that roads were blocked by landslide debris, with aid now being distributed via helicopters.

The areas of Sibolga and Central Tapanuli were hardest hit, with communications and electricity cut off, Yuyun Karseno, an official with the agency’s North Sumatra division, told Reuters news agency.

“There is no access now because of the complete cutoff,” Yuyun said when asked about rescue efforts. “As of now, we cannot communicate with people in Sibolga and Central Tapanuli.”

Indonesia’s search and rescue agency said the dead included a family from central Tapanuli.

A video shared by radio channel Elshinta on its social media account shows a man carrying a child in a plastic container on a rooftop in central Tapanuli.

Footage and photos shared by the agency showed torrents of water flowing across the region, destroying buildings, with rescue workers using orange rafts to visit residents’ flooded homes.

Flooding and landslides also affected West Sumatra and Aceh provinces, officials said. Indonesia’s state news agency Antara reported that 10 of Aceh’s 23 cities and districts were submerged.

Citing extreme weather, the meteorological agency said more flooding was expected in several other Sumatra provinces, including Aceh and Riau, over the next two days.

Flooding elsewhere in Asia

The Indonesian floods are one of a series of disasters to hit Southeast Asia this week.

A magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck Simeuluu island off the coast of Sumatra in western Indonesia early Thursday morning, according to the United States Geological Survey.

The quake, which struck Simeulue Island at 11:56 a.m. (04:56 GMT) at a depth of 25 km (15.5 miles), prompted rain-soaked residents to evacuate. There were no immediate reports on casualties or a possible tsunami.

Meanwhile, floods in Thailand and Malaysia in recent days have killed more than 30 people, with water levels rising so high that hospitals were submerged.

At least 31 people have died and 14 others are missing this week after heavy rains triggered floods and landslides in Sri Lanka, officials said Thursday.