At least 15 people have been killed and 10 others remain missing after flash floods and landslides triggered by torrential rains struck Indonesia’s East Nusa Tenggara province and the tourist island of Bali, authorities said Wednesday.
The rains, which began Monday, caused rivers to overflow and unleashed landslides across the two provinces.
In East Nusa Tenggara, rescuers on Wednesday recovered the bodies of a mother and her child buried under mud in Mauponggo, the worst-hit village in Nagekeo district, along with a man in the neighboring village of Loka Laba. Earlier, three members of a family were found dead after their house was swept away in Mauponggo, where four others remain missing, officials said.
In Bali, rescuers pulled the body of a woman from a flooded area near Badung market in provincial capital Denpasar late Wednesday, said National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesperson Abdul Muhari. Six people are still unaccounted for.
Eight other bodies were found earlier, including four who died when a building was washed away in the Kumbasari market area of South Denpasar, said Nyoman Sidakarya, head of Bali’s Search and Rescue Agency.
The floods and landslides have affected nine cities and districts in Bali, submerging at least 112 neighborhoods and damaging roads, bridges, shops and houses, according to Bali’s Disaster Mitigation Agency. Videos released by the National Search and Rescue Agency showed cars swept away in muddy waters, while soldiers and rescuers used rubber boats to evacuate children and the elderly from rooftops.
Bali Governor Wayan Koster said floodwaters reached up to 2.5 meters in places, forcing more than 800 people into temporary shelters. Electricity and water supplies were cut off, prompting hotels, restaurants, hospitals and other facilities to rely on generators, he added.
In Nagekeo, flash floods swept away villagers and vehicles, destroyed two bridges, two government offices, a plantation, rice fields and livestock, said local disaster agency head Agustinus Pone. At least six villagers were confirmed dead there, while four others remain missing.
Muhari said rescue operations have been hampered by severe weather and rugged terrain.
Indonesia frequently experiences floods and landslides during the rainy season, which typically lasts from September to March.