Death toll rises to 26 in Indonesia floods, landslides

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ANKARA (AA) - Death toll has risen to 26 after torrential rains triggered massive landslides in central Indonesia, local media reported Thursday.

According to local news agency Antara, rains hit at least ten districts in the south of Sulawesi Island, including provincial capital Makassar of South Sulawesi province.

Thousands of people were stuck in the region and evacuated from their homes, it added.

The news agency said that floods and landslides left 26 people, including two infants, dead and 24 others missing.

At least 3,914 families were affected and over 3,000 people are living in temporary shelters while 46 others were admitted to local health facilities for treatment, the daily said.

The floods and landslides damaged houses, government buildings, schools, and bridges, according to the reports.

An official from Indonesia’s National Agency for Disaster Management said the search and rescue mission is underway to trace the missing victims.

Landslides and flooding are common in Indonesia, especially during the monsoon season between October and April, when rain lashes the vast tropical archipelago.