PADANG, Indonesia, Rescuers, Indonesia’s Sumatra Island, flash floods, monsoon rains, cold lava, Mount Marapi, National Disaster Management Agency, Abdul Muhari, West Sumatra PADANG, Indonesia: Rescuers in Indonesia’s Sumatra Island recovered more bodies on May 13 following devastating flash floods triggered by monsoon rains over the weekend, which combined with cold lava from Mount Marapi, led to at least 44 deaths and 15 missing individuals.
Addressing a news conference, National Disaster Management Agency spokesperson Abdul Muhari reported the updated death toll after the floods swept through mountainside villages in West Sumatra province late May 11.
The deluge, stemming from a river breach caused by a landslide of mud and cold lava, submerged hundreds of homes and prompted over 3,100 people to seek refuge in government shelters.
Cold lava, or lahar, is a perilous flow comprising volcanic material and pebbles, which rainwater sweeps down volcano slopes. This mixture devastated several areas, leaving hamlets buried under mud and debris.
“The devastated area is so vast and complicated, we badly need more excavators and mud pumps,” said Abdul Malik, head of the search and rescue office in Padang, the provincial capital. Rescue efforts faced significant challenges due to continuous rainfall, damaged roads, and unstable conditions, further complicated by the thick mud that hampered the mobility of heavy machinery.
Television footage captured heart-wrenching scenes of relatives mourning as rescuers extracted a mud-caked body from the ruins, placing it in an orange and black bag for burial. Hundreds of police, soldiers, and residents joined the search, digging through the wreckage with basic tools.
Muhari mentioned that the search and rescue operations had to be suspended late May 13 due to darkness and ongoing rains, and they are planning to resume early May 14.
This recent catastrophe underscores Indonesia’s vulnerability to natural disasters such as landslides and floods. The archipelago has over 17,000 islands, and millions of people live in mountainous areas or near floodplains.
These incidents are exacerbated by the country’s position on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” a hotspot for volcanic activity and seismic events. Two months earlier, similar conditions led to floods and a landslide that killed 26 people in the same region.
Mount Marapi, a key contributor to the recent disaster, has been active since a January 2024 eruption and is known for its unpredictable activity due to its shallow volcanic source near the peak. Given Indonesia’s dense network of active volcanoes, this activity poses ongoing risks to the local populations.