Sumatra landslide kills 18, 5 missing

At least 18 people were killed and five others went missing after flash floods and a landslide on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, a local official said Saturday in a new toll.

Torrential rains triggered the floods and landslide that hit Pesisir Selatan regency in West Sumatra province, forcing around 46,000 people to evacuate to temporary shelters.

"Eighteen people were found dead. Five were missing," said Pesisir Selatan disaster mitigation agency acting head Doni Gusrizal on Saturday, reports AFP.
Doni said debris from the disasters had hampered ongoing rescue efforts. "The impact from the floods (was) extraordinary. Currently we are cleaning the road... Our vehicles cannot pass through," he said.

As of late Saturday, electricity services were still down in several parts of Pesisir Selatan after the disaster, according to an AFP reporter in the regency.

At least 14 houses were buried in the landslide, more than 20,000 houses were flooded and eight bridges had collapsed, according to earlier statement from the national disaster mitigation agency.