2LT International News
Heavy rain causes landslides in Indonesia’s Sulawesi Island killing 14
Apr 19, 2024
JAKARTA, Indonesia: Local officials said that torrential rains that hit Indonesia’s Sulawesi Island caused landslides that killed at least 14 people and left three others missing.
Police chief Gunardi Mundu said mud fell from surrounding hills onto four houses just before midnight Saturday in the Tana Toraja district of South Sulawesi province.
He added that a family gathering was being held in one of the affected houses. Soldiers, police, and volunteers joined the search in the remote, hilly villages of Makale and South Makale.
Early on April 14, rescuers pulled out two injured people, including an eight-year-old girl, and rushed them to a nearby hospital.
National Disaster Management Agency spokesperson Abdul Muhari said that by afternoon, rescuers had recovered at least 11 bodies in Makale village and three bodies in South Makale and were still searching for three others, including a three-year-old girl.
Muhari said downed communications lines, bad weather, and unstable soil hampered the rescue efforts.
Seasonal downpours cause frequent landslides and floods in Indonesia.
