Indonesian rescuers search for missing in buried cars and bus after landslide in Sumatra

JAKARTA — Indonesian rescuers on Friday (Nov 29) searched for survivors buried in three cars and bus at the base of a cliff after flash floods and landslides in North Sumatra province killed at least 29 people.

Torrential rain for the past week in the province has triggered flash floods and landslides in four different districts, Indonesia's disaster agency has said.

The death toll from one landslide on Wednesday on a hilly interprovince road rose to nine from seven, Hadi Wahyudi, the spokesperson of North Sumatra police told Reuters on Friday.

At least five cars, one bus, and one truck were trapped at the base of a cliff following the landslide. On Friday, police and rescuers focused their search for missing people on three cars and one bus buried in mud.

"We still don't know how many people who were still trapped," Hadi said.

In other districts, landslides over the weekend killed 20 people and rescuers will keep searching for two missing people until Saturday.

Flash floods hit the provincial city of Medan on Friday although waters have receded in some areas, said Sariman Sitorus, spokesperson for the local search agency.

The floods forced a delay in votes for regional elections in some areas in Medan on Wednesday.

Extreme weather is expected in Indonesia towards the end of 2024, as the La Nina phenomenon increases rainfalls across the tropical archipelago, the country's weather agency has warned.

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