KUALA LUMPUR: At least 15 people have been killed, with dozens missing after torrential rains and landslides hit Indonesia’s Natuna region on
the edge of the South China Sea.
Pictures and video from the national disaster mitigation agency (BNPB) showed landslides cascading through forested areas and dumping mud and debris on houses on the remote Serasan island. Bits of metal from torn-off roofs and fallen trees were also visible following the disaster.
The location of the landslide and continued rain were complicating search and rescue efforts, the BNPB said on Twitter. Communications had also been cut off, it said.
The Natuna Search and Rescue Agency’s head, Abdul Rahman, told the AFP news agency that 15 people had been confirmed dead and 50 were missing.
“The weather is changing. The wind is still blowing hard. The tidal waves are high,” said Junainah, the spokesperson for the Riau Islands Disaster Mitigation Agency, who goes by one name.
A 60-person search and rescue team left for the island on Monday afternoon, with the journey expected to take 7 to 8 hours by fast boat.
