3 dead, 9 missing after Indonesia landslides

By Devina Halim

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AA) – At least three people have been killed and nine more are missing after landslides at a power plant in Indonesia’s North Sumatra province, authorities said on Friday.

Hisar Turnip, a spokesperson of the National Search and Rescue Agency, said heavy rains in the Tapanuli Selatan regency on Thursday evening triggered the deadly torrent.

“A total of 12 people have been buried. Three of them have died and we have recovered their bodies. The identity of the victims is not yet known,” Turnip told Anadolu Agency.

Rescue teams are still searching for the other missing people.

North Sumatra Hydro Energy (NSHE), the company that developed and runs the Batang Toru hydropower plant, confirmed that two workers – an Indonesian and a Chinese national – were swept away in the landslides, while another Chinese worker survived.

“The area has now been secured by authorities and no one will be allowed near the site because they fear there will be more landslides,” said Firman Taufick, a senior official at the company.

* Writing by Rhany Chairunissa Rufinaldo with Anadolu Agency’s Indonesian language services in Jakarta