There was a landslide and flash flood in Indonesia’s Sumatra; 16 people died, 6 people are missing

Rescuers in Indonesia recovered 16 bodies buried under tons of mud and rocks or washed away by flash floods that hit mountainous villages on Sumatra Island, officials said Monday.

Authorities said six people were still missing.

Mud, rocks and trees tumbled down mountains and rivers burst their banks after heavy rains over the weekend, tearing apart four rugged regions in North Sumatra province, washing away homes and destroying farms.

Juspri M. Nadeak, head of the local disaster management agency, said police, soldiers and rescue teams used excavators, farming equipment and their bare hands to rummage through debris to search for the dead and missing in Semangat Gunung, a resort area in Karo district.

Rescuers recovered six bodies after a landslide hit two houses and a shack late Sunday, the official said. He said nine injured people managed to escape. Rescuers were still searching for four missing people, including two children, on Monday.

Puput Mashuri, who heads the local disaster management agency, said rescue teams on Sunday pulled two bodies from the river after floods swept away at least 10 houses and damaged about 150 houses and buildings in villages in the South Tapanuli district.