(Reuters): At least 14 people have been killed after flash floods swept through parts of Indonesia’s North Sulawesi province, with four others still missing as search operations continue, officials said on Tuesday.
Heavy rainfall early on Monday triggered the floods on Siau Island in the Siau Tagulandang Biaro region, according to Nuriadin Gumeleng, a spokesperson for the local rescue agency. Sixteen rescuers have been deployed to search for those missing, while at least 18 people have been reported injured so far.
“We are still collecting information from local residents in case there are additional missing persons,” Gumeleng told Reuters.
As of Tuesday, several main roads in the affected areas remained blocked by rocks, debris, and thick mud. Authorities have deployed excavators to clear access routes, the national disaster mitigation agency said.
At least 444 residents have been evacuated to temporary shelters, including schools and churches. The floods also damaged or destroyed hundreds of homes and government buildings, North Sulawesi Governor Yulius Selvanus said.
The disaster occurred during the peak of the wet season on Sulawesi Island, as forecast by Indonesia’s weather agency. The agency has warned that Java, Sulawesi, Maluku, and Papua are expected to face peak rainfall in January and February, increasing the risk of flooding. Other regions, including Sumatra and Borneo, experienced their heaviest rains in November and December.
Indonesia has faced a series of severe weather-related disasters in recent months. In November, cyclone-triggered floods and landslides killed more than 1,000 people in Sumatra, with hundreds still unaccounted for. Environmental groups have warned that deforestation linked to mining and logging has worsened the impact of flooding across the country.
