At least ten people, including three children, are dead and two remain missing following torrential rains and flash floods that ravaged over 170 villages in Sukabumi district, West Java province, Indonesia, Al Jazeera reports.
The disaster, which struck hilly villages on the main island of Java, caused widespread destruction and forced thousands to flee their homes.
Lieutenant Colonel Yudi Hariyanto, head of a Sukabumi rescue command post, reported that rivers burst their banks last week, unleashing a torrent of mud, rocks, and debris that swept through mountainside hamlets. Landslides and strong winds compounded the devastation.
Over 3,000 people have sought refuge in temporary government shelters, while authorities have issued evacuation warnings to nearly 1,000 more whose homes are threatened. The scale of the destruction is immense: 31 bridges, 81 roads, and 539 hectares (1,332 acres) of rice fields have been destroyed. 1,170 houses were flooded up to their roofs, and over 3,300 other houses and buildings sustained damage.
Rescue workers recovered ten bodies on Monday from the hardest-hit villages of Tegalbuleud, Simpenan, and Ciemas. The search continues for two missing villagers. Graphic videos circulating on social media show the overwhelming force of the flash floods, carrying away cars, motorcycles, and livestock. Footage from West Java’s Search and Rescue Agency depicts roads transformed into raging brown rivers and villages buried under thick mud and debris.
Indonesia, an archipelago of 17,000 islands, is bracing for more severe weather. State meteorologists have identified three tropical cyclone systems that could bring heavy rainfall to various regions. Extreme weather is forecast for western and eastern Indonesia in the coming days, with significant rainfall and high waves expected.
This latest disaster follows flash floods and landslides in North Sumatra province last month, which claimed at least 29 lives and disrupted regional elections. The repeated occurrences highlight the urgent need for improved disaster preparedness and mitigation strategies across the Indonesian archipelago.
