Torrential rains struck Indonesia’s Siau Island on Monday, triggering a flash flood that has claimed at least 16 lives, with three others reported missing, authorities confirmed Tuesday.
The National Disaster Mitigation Agency said an overflowing river inundated four towns on the small island north of Sulawesi. “Sixteen people have been reported dead due to the flash flood,” agency spokesman Abdul Muhari said, adding that rescue teams are searching for the missing individuals.
The disaster also left 22 people injured and forced nearly 700 villagers to evacuate their homes. According to Abdul, the flash flood was caused by heavy rain since the early hours, which caused the river to surge suddenly.
Photos released by the search and rescue agency showed large rocks and uprooted trees swept away by the rushing waters. The flood damaged dozens of homes, public buildings, and infrastructure, while cutting off access to some roads.
Flooding is common in Indonesia during the rainy season, which lasts from October to March. In recent months, intense monsoon rains and tropical storms have wreaked havoc across South and Southeast Asia, causing landslides and flooding from Sumatra’s rainforests to Sri Lanka’s highland plantations.
In November, similar heavy rains in Sumatra killed at least 1,178 people and displaced over 240,000 residents, marking one of the worst disasters on the island since the 2004 tsunami triggered by a magnitude-9.1 earthquake.
