Man’s Body Recovered as Flash Floods and Landslide Devastate Indonesian Village, 11 Still Missing

Rescue workers in Indonesia have found the body of a man buried under mud and rocks following flash floods and a landslide in a village on Sumatra island. The incident occurred late on Friday when heavy rain triggered the collapse of a mountain, causing mud, rocks, and trees to roll down and flood nearby villages. The torrential rain also caused a river to burst its banks, resulting in severe damage to mountainside communities close to Lake Toba in North Sumatra province.

Rescue teams have been using excavators, dogs, and even their bare hands to search for the missing and retrieve bodies from the worst-hit village. Divers equipped with sonar detection have also been deployed to search for possible victims who may have been swept into Lake Toba. So far, the body of a hotel employee has been recovered from the lakeside, approximately 500 meters away from the severely damaged Senior Bakara Hotel.

The landslide and flash floods have caused significant destruction, damaging at least 35 houses, a church, a school, and a hotel in the village of Simangulampe. As a result, about 55 families have been forced to evacuate and seek shelter in temporary government accommodations.

Indonesia experiences seasonal rain from October to March, which often leads to flooding and landslides. The country’s geography, with its numerous mountains and flood-prone areas, makes it particularly susceptible to these natural disasters.

Lake Toba, covering an area of 1,145 square kilometers, is a popular tourist spot in Sumatra. Formed from a super volcano, the lake is one of Indonesia’s ten breathtaking natural attractions that the government aims to promote as tourist destinations.

The local authorities and rescue agencies continue their efforts to locate the remaining 11 missing individuals and provide aid to the affected families.