At least 34 people have been killed and 16 more are missing as flash floods and cold lava flow from a volcano hit western Indonesia, an area disaster official said on Sunday.
The disaster hit two districts of West Sumatra province on Saturday evening after hours of heavy rains caused floods and dumped ash and enormous rocks down Mount Marapi, probably the most lively volcano on the island of Sumatra within the archipelago.
“So far, our data shows that 34 people have died: 16 in Agam and 18 in Tanah Datar. At least 18 other individuals are injured. We are also still searching for 16 other people,” West Sumatra disaster agency spokesman Ilham Wahab told AFP.
He said local rescuers, police, soldiers and volunteers were involved within the search.
According to the Basarnas search and rescue agency, Agam and Tanah Datar districts were hit on Saturday around 10:30 p.m.
Earlier, Basarnas said that 12 people, including several children, died because of this of flash floods and cold lava.
Cold lava, also often called lahar, is volcanic material similar to ash, sand and pebbles carried by rain down the edges of a volcano.
According to an AFP journalist on the scene, roughly 370,000 people live in Tanah Datar.
In Lembah Anai, a well-liked tourist destination with a waterfall in Tanah Datar, the road connecting the towns of Padang and Bukittinggi was severely damaged and vehicle access was cut off.
Aerial photos of Tanah Datar shown by AFP showed roads covered in mud, with roofs and minarets of mosques protruding from a sea of brown mud.
Authorities said nine bodies were identified Sunday, including those of a three-year-old and an eight-year-old.
Authorities sent a rescue team and rubber boats to look for the missing and transport people to shelters.
Local authorities have arrange evacuation centers and alert points in several areas of the 2 affected districts.
During the rainy season, Indonesia is susceptible to landslides and floods.
In March, at the very least 26 people died in landslides and floods that hit western Sumatra.
In December, Marapi erupted, sending a tower of ash 3,000 meters (9,800 feet) into the sky, higher than the volcano itself.
At least 24 climbers, most of them students, died within the eruption.
