TANAH DATAR, Indonesia. Rescuers are meticulously searching through rivers and the debris of ruined villages to recover bodies and locate survivors in the aftermath of severe flash floods on Indonesia’s Sumatra Island. The disaster, triggered by monsoon rains and a landslide of mud and cold lava from Mount Merapi, has claimed at least 52 lives as of Tuesday.
The deluge struck late Saturday night, breaching riverbanks and devastating mountainside villages across four districts in West Sumatra province. The floodwaters swept away 79 homes and inundated hundreds of other buildings, displacing more than 3,300 residents who are now in temporary government shelters.
“The flash floods have left a trail of destruction,” said Abdul Muhari, spokesperson for the National Disaster Management Agency. “Rescue teams are working tirelessly to find survivors and recover the bodies of those who perished.”
The National Search and Rescue Agency confirmed that 52 bodies have been recovered from the mud and rivers, predominantly in the heavily affected districts of Agam and Tanah Datar. Rescuers are still searching for 20 individuals who remain missing.
Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency has warned of further downpours in the coming days, heightening the risk of additional extreme rainfall until next week. In response, the National Disaster Management Agency is set to implement weather modification techniques to mitigate further rainfall and prevent more flash floods.
“We will start cloud seeding tomorrow to reduce the rain during this emergency response period,” said Suharyanto, head of the National Disaster Management Agency. He noted that the emergency response efforts are scheduled to continue until May 25.
Television footage has shown rescue personnel using a variety of tools, including jackhammers, circular saws, and even their bare hands, as they dig through the mud and debris in Agam district. Roads have been transformed into muddy rivers, and villages are buried under layers of mud, rocks, and uprooted trees.
In Tanah Datar district, around the Anai Valley Waterfall, rescuers are concentrating their efforts on locating four people from a group of seven who were swept away in their cars. “Three bodies were found on Monday, but we are still searching for the other four,” said Abdul Malik, head of the Search and Rescue Office in Padang.
“With many missing and some remote areas still unreachable, the death toll is likely to rise,” Malik added.
Indonesia frequently experiences landslides and flash floods due to heavy rainfall, particularly in mountainous regions or near floodplains. This latest disaster comes just two months after similar floods and landslides in West Sumatra killed at least 26 people and left 11 others missing.
Mount Marapi, a particularly active volcano, erupted unexpectedly late last year, resulting in the deaths of 23 climbers. The volcano, which has been active since January 2024, is among over 120 active volcanoes in Indonesia, a country situated on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” known for its seismic activity and frequent volcanic eruptions.
