The dead and two survivors were evacuated from two landslide-hit villages in Tana Toraja regency, South Sulawesi province on Saturday evening, said local disaster agency head Sulaiman Malia.
"There have been 19 fatalities, with 4 deaths in South Makale and 15 others in Makale villages," Malia told AFP on Sunday.
"Currently, we are still searching for other victims," he said, adding that there are still two individuals reported missing, presumably buried under the landslide debris.
Tana Toraja and its surrounding areas have been "continuously hit by heavy rainfall, especially over the past week, with hardly any stop", Malia added.
The heavy rainfall eroded the soil of residential areas located on mountain slopes, leading to landslides that buried residents' homes, he said.
Indonesia is prone to landslides during the rainy season and the problem has been aggravated in some places by deforestation, with prolonged torrential rain causing flooding in some areas of the archipelago nation.
Last month flash floods and landslides on Sumatra island killed at least 30 people with scores still missing.
A landslide and flooding swept away dozens of houses and destroyed a hotel near Lake Toba on Sumatra in December, killing at least two people.
6.5-magnitude quake hits Papua New Guinea: USGS
Kokopo, Papua New Guinea (AFP) April 14, 2024 -
A strong 6.5-magnitude earthquake hit northern Papua New Guinea early Monday, but there was no threat of a tsunami, US seismologists said.
The epicentre of the quake, which hit at 0656 local time (2056 GMT), was roughly 110 kilometres (68 miles) east-southeast of Kimbe on the island of New Britain, at a depth of 64 kilometres, the US Geological Survey said.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said in a statement that there was "no tsunami threat". There were no immediate local reports of damage.
The region was rattled last month when at least five people were killed and an estimated 1,000 homes destroyed following a magnitude 6.9 earthquake.
Related Links
Weather News at TerraDaily.com
| Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters |
| Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters |
