At least 17 dead after landslides and flash floods in Sumatra, Indonesia

Torrential rain has triggered flash floods and landslides in Sumatra, Indonesia, killing at least 17 people.

Six people are missing, officials said on Wednesday, as rescue teams struggled to reach affected areas in North Sumatra province.

Monsoon rains over the past week have led to rivers bursting their banks and tearing through hilly villages as mud, rocks and trees tumbled down, leaving a trail of destruction, police said.

Rescue workers had recovered at least five bodies and three injured people in the worst-hit city of Sibolga by Wednesday. They were searching for four villagers who were reported missing, a statement said.

In the neighbouring district of Central Tapanuli, landslides struck several homes, killing a family of four, with floods submerging almost 2,000 homes and buildings.

Rescuers recovered seven more bodies in South Tapanuli district, after floods and landslides that uprooted trees and prompted more than 2,800 residents to flee to temporary shelters.

Abdul Muhari, spokesperson for the country's national disaster mitigation agency, said another 58 were injured.

He said landslides also hit 50 houses in North Tapanuli district and destroyed at least two main bridges in the area.

Videos posted on social media showed water streaming down from rooftops as panicked residents scrambled to safety.

In some areas, flash floods dramatically worsened, transforming streets into raging torrents carrying tree trunks and debris.

Sibolga police chief Eddy Inganta said emergency shelters had been set-up, and authorities urged residents in high-risk zones to evacuate immediately, warning continued rainfall could trigger further landslides.

"Bad weather and mudslides hampered the rescue operation," Mr Inganta said, adding access remained limited as rescuers battled harsh conditions.

Tuesday's disasters occurred the same day the disaster mitigation agency declared the official end of relief efforts in two areas of Java, Indonesia's most populated island, after 10 days of operations.

More than 1,000 rescue workers had been deployed to search for people buried under landslides triggered by torrential rains that left 38 people dead in Central Java's districts of Cilacap and Banjarnegara.

At least two people in Cilacap and 11 in Banjarnegara were still unaccounted for when the operations ended, as unstable ground, bad weather and the depth and extent of the landfill material posed a high safety risk to residents and rescue teams, the agency said.

Heavy seasonal rain from about October to March often causes flooding and landslides in Indonesia - an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands including Sumatra - where millions of people live in mountainous areas or near fertile floodplains.

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Last week also saw nearly 1,000 people from three villages on Java forced to flee to shelters after the eruption of Mount Semeru, the island's highest volcano.

(c) Sky News 2025: At least 17 dead after landslides and flash floods in Sumatra, Indonesia