Floods and landslides in Indonesia have now killed dozens of people, the government says, after heavy rain pounded Sulawesi island and forced thousands to flee their homes.</s>The death toll from floods and landslides in Indonesia's South Sulawesi province has jumped to at least 59, according to authorities, as rescuers raced to find more than two dozen others still missing.

Some 3,400 people were evacuated from their homes as heavy rainfall and strong winds pounded the southern part of Sulawesi island on Wednesday and Thursday, swelling rivers that burst their banks and inundating dozens of communities in nine districts.

"I've never seen something this bad - this is the worst," Syamsibar, head of South Sulawesi's disaster mitigation agency, told AFP news agency on Friday, adding that 25 people were still missing.

The death toll was 30 on Thursday evening.

Gowa district suffered the heaviest casualties, with 44 people found dead, said Syamsibar, who like many Indonesians goes by one name.

One major highway was blocked, prompting authorities to deliver aid via helicopter, according to local media. Parts of the provincial capital, Makassar, were also affected.

Aerial images showed muddy brown water covering swaths of lands and, in some areas, rushing water washing away houses and debris.

Those evacuated were given refuge in schools, mosques and tents. At least 46 are being treated at local hospitals and health clinics.

Search ongoing

Residents waded through streets filled with waist-deep water, some carrying their belongings on their heads, as they fled to temporary shelters and field kitchens set up by the disaster mitigation agency.

On Thursday, the agency said that while flooding in the province was receding "the search and evacuation process is still ongoing".

"We urge people to always be aware of the possibility of floods and landslides," Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesman for the national disaster agency, said.

The floods also damaged houses, government buildings, schools and bridges.

Landslides and flooding are common in disaster-prone Indonesia, especially during the monsoon season between October and April, when rain lashes the vast Southeast Asian archipelago.

In October, flash floods and landslides killed at least 22 people in several districts across Sumatra island.</s>Indonesian authorities on Friday raised the number of people killed due to floods, landslides and strong winds in the southern part of the island of Sulawesi to 59, while 25 people were missing.

Another 47 people have been injured, while 3,481 people have been displaced, Indonesia's National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) said.</s>At least 59 people have been killed and 25 are missing after landslides and floods ravaged Indonesia's South Sulawesi province.

Floods have inundated at least 100 villages in the province since Wednesday, following days of heavy rain, the country's disaster management agency said.

At least 44 people died in the hardest-hit district, Gowa, said Sutopo Nugroho, spokesman for the National Disaster Management Agency.

Nearly 5000 homes and 12,000 hectares of rice fields were under water, while about 3500 people were displaced, he said.

Landslides and floods are common in Indonesia during the rainy season, which is expected to peak in January and February this year.</s>Floods and landslides in Indonesia have now killed at least 59 people, the government said Friday, after heavy rain pounded Sulawesi island and forced thousands to flee their homes.

"I've never seen something this bad - this is the worst," Syamsibar, head of South Sulawesi disaster mitigation agency, told AFP, adding that 25 people were still missing.

Lashed by the heavy rain, rivers swelled and burst their banks, inundating dozens of communities in 11 districts of southern Sulawesi. Parts of the provincial capital Makassar have also been affected.

Gowa district suffered the heaviest casualties, with 44 people found dead, said Syamsibar, who like many Indonesians goes by one name.

Some 3,400 people have been evacuated from their homes and given refuge in schools, mosques and tents.

Rescuers and residents waded through streets filled with waist-deep water, some carrying their possessions above their heads.

"I couldn't save all my belongings, my house was swept away," Makassar resident Ayu Fiskarina told AFP.

Authorities say floodwaters are receding but the impact of the disaster has ranged far and wide, damaging houses, government buildings, schools and bridges.

The death toll stood at 30 on Thursday evening.

Landslides and floods are common in Indonesia, especially during the monsoon season between October and April, when rains lash the vast Southeast Asian archipelago.

In October, flash floods and landslides killed at least 22 people in several districts across Sumatra island.

The death toll from flash floods and landslides in Indonesia has risen to 30, as rescuers raced to find two dozen still missing, the disaster agency said Thursday.

Thousands have been evacuated from their homes as heavy rain and strong winds pounded the southern part of Sulawesi island, swelling rivers that burst their banks and inundating dozens of communities in nine southern districts.

Parts of the provincial capital Makassar have also been affected.

Rescuers and residents waded through streets filled with waist-deep water, some carrying their belongings above their heads.

"We urge people to always be aware of the possibility of floods and landslides," said national disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho.

Landslides and flooding are common in Indonesia, especially during the monsoon season between October and April, when rain lashes the vast Southeast Asian archipelago.

In October, flash floods and landslides killed at least 22 people in several districts across Sumatra island.

On Thursday, the disaster agency said that while flooding in South Sulawesi province was receding "the search and evacuation process is still ongoing".

The death toll had stood at 26 on Thursday morning.

More than 3,000 people have been evacuated and at least 46 are being treated at local hospitals and health clinics.

The floods also damaged houses, government buildings, schools and bridges.

Death toll from Indonesian floods and landslides rises to 26

The governor of an Indonesian province inundated by torrential rains says the death toll from flooding and landslides has risen to 26.

South Sulawesi Gov. Nurdin Abdullah said in a TV interview Thursday that displaced people are still being evacuated.

Nine districts in the province including the capital Makassar have been affected by flooding that began late Tuesday, forcing thousands to flee their homes.

Adnan Purichta Ichsann, the chief of Gowa district near Makassar, has said operators of the Bili Bili rock-fill embankment dam were forced to release water on Tuesday, which contributed to flooding but avoided a worse disaster.

Adbullah told local media that siltation of the dam and deforestation of the upstream watershed had worsened the floods.</s>JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) - A disaster official says the number of people killed after days of torrential rain triggered flash floods and landslides on Indonesia's Sulawesi island has climbed to 59 with 25 others missing.

Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman, says more bodies were recovered Friday as floodwaters and rainfall subsided in several areas.

Thirteen districts and cities in South Sulawesi province including the capital, Makassar, have been affected by flooding that began late Tuesday, forcing more than 3,000 people to flee their homes. Rescuers are still searching for 25 others.

Seasonal downpours cause frequent landslides and flash floods in Indonesia, a chain of 17,000 islands where millions live in mountainous areas or near fertile flood plains.

In this Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2019, file photo, residents ride a makeshift raft as they evacuate their flooded homes in Makassar, South Sulawesi, Indonesia. Torrential rains that overwhelmed a dam and caused landslides that killed some and displaced more than a few thousand residents in central Indonesia, officials said Wednesday. (AP Photo/Masyudi Syachban Firmansyah, File)</s>A disaster official says the number of people killed after days of torrential rain triggered flash floods and landslides on Indonesia’s Sulawesi island has climbed to 59 with 25 others missing.

Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman, says more bodies were recovered Friday as floodwaters and rainfall subsided in several areas.

Thirteen districts and cities in South Sulawesi province including the capital, Makassar, have been affected by flooding that began late Tuesday, forcing more than 3,000 people to flee their homes. Rescuers are still searching for 25 others.

Seasonal downpours cause frequent landslides and flash floods in Indonesia, a chain of 17,000 islands where millions live in mountainous areas or near fertile flood plains.</s>MAKASSAR, Indonesia: Floods and landslides in Indonesia have now killed at least 59 people, the government said on Friday (Jan 25), after heavy rain pounded Sulawesi island and forced thousands to flee their homes.

"I've never seen something this bad - this is the worst," Syamsibar, head of South Sulawesi disaster mitigation agency, told AFP, adding that 25 people were still missing.

Lashed by the heavy rain, rivers swelled and burst their banks, inundating dozens of communities in 11 districts of southern Sulawesi. Parts of the provincial capital Makassar have also been affected.

READ: Overflowing dam kills at least 30 in Indonesia



Gowa district suffered the heaviest casualties, with 44 people found dead, said Syamsibar, who like many Indonesians goes by one name.

About 3,400 people have been evacuated from their homes and given refuge in schools, mosques and tents.

Rescuers and residents waded through streets filled with waist-deep water, some carrying their possessions above their heads.

"I couldn't save all my belongings, my house was swept away," Makassar resident Ayu Fiskarina told AFP.

Authorities say floodwaters are receding but the impact of the disaster has ranged far and wide, damaging houses, government buildings, schools and bridges.

The death toll stood at 30 on Thursday evening.

Landslides and floods are common in Indonesia, especially during the monsoon season between October and April, when rains lash the vast Southeast Asian archipelago.

Last year, flash floods and landslides killed at least 22 people in several districts across Sumatra island, while a dozen died when an avalanche of mud and rock cascaded down a steep slope in central Java, Indonesia's main island.

In 2016, also in Central Java, about 50 people died when heavy downpours sent torrents of water, mud and rock into villages.

Indonesia is one of the most disaster-prone nations on Earth, straddling the Pacific Ring of Fire, where tectonic plates collide. Volcanic eruptions and earthquakes are common.

In December, more than 400 were killed in a volcano-triggered tsunami in western Java, while thousands died in a quake-tsunami disaster around the city of Palu on Sulawesi island in September.

Lombok, an island next to Bali, was rocked by earthquakes in the summer that killed more than 500 and sparked a mass exodus of foreigners from the tropical paradise.</s>Floods and landslides in Indonesia have now killed at least 59 people, the government said Friday, after heavy rain pounded Sulawesi island and forced thousands to flee their homes.

"I've never seen something this bad -- this is the worst," Syamsibar, head of South Sulawesi disaster mitigation agency, told AFP, adding that 25 people were still missing.

Lashed by the heavy rain, rivers swelled and burst their banks, inundating dozens of communities in 11 districts of southern Sulawesi. Parts of the provincial capital Makassar have also been affected.

Gowa district suffered the heaviest casualties, with 44 people found dead, said Syamsibar, who like many Indonesians goes by one name.

Some 3,400 people have been evacuated from their homes and given refuge in schools, mosques and tents.

Rescuers and residents waded through streets filled with waist-deep water, some carrying their possessions above their heads.

"I couldn't save all my belongings, my house was swept away," Makassar resident Ayu Fiskarina told AFP.

Authorities say floodwaters are receding but the impact of the disaster has ranged far and wide, damaging houses, government buildings, schools and bridges.

The death toll stood at 30 on Thursday evening.

Landslides and floods are common in Indonesia, especially during the monsoon season between October and April, when rains lash the vast Southeast Asian archipelago.

In October, flash floods and landslides killed at least 22 people in several districts across Sumatra island.</s>MAKASSAR, Indonesia: Floods and landslides in Indonesia have killed at least 59 people, the government said on Friday, after heavy rain pounded Sulawesi island and forced thousands to flee their homes.

"I’ve never seen something this bad -- this is the worst," Syamsibar, head of South Sulawesi’s disaster mitigation agency, told AFP, adding that 25 people were still missing. Lashed by the heavy rain, rivers swelled and burst their banks, inundating dozens of communities in 11 districts of southern Sulawesi. Parts of the provincial capital Makassar have also been affected.

Gowa district suffered the heaviest casualties, with 44 people found dead, said Syamsibar, who like many Indonesians goes by one name.

Some 3,400 people were evacuated from their homes and given refuge in schools, mosques and tents. Rescuers and residents waded through streets filled with waist-deep water, some carrying their possessions above their heads.

"I couldn’t save all my belongings, my house was swept away," Makassar resident Ayu Fiskarina told AFP. Authorities say floodwaters are receding but the impact of the disaster has ranged far and wide, damaging houses, government buildings, schools and bridges.

"All the locals in this area have been evacuated to the mosque, except for (a) woman who refuses to leave her house because she’s scared her belongings could be looted," said Makassar police officer Ardal.

The death toll stood at 30 on Thursday evening. Landslides and floods are common in Indonesia, especially during the monsoon season between October and April, when rains lash the vast Southeast Asian archipelago.
At least 59 people are killed when flooding and landslides hit South Sulawesi, Indonesia. Twenty-five others are missing and thousands have been displaced.