Sign up to receive our Breaking News Alerts and Daily Headlines featuring the best local news and stories.</s>JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Torrential rains triggered flash floods and landslides on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, killing at least 27 people, including a dozen children at a school, officials said Saturday. A flash flood…

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Torrential rains triggered flash floods and landslides on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, killing at least 27 people, including a dozen children at a school, officials said Saturday.

A flash flood with mud and debris from landslides struck Mandailing Natal district in North Sumatra province and smashed an Islamic school in Muara Saladi village, where 29 children were swept away on Friday afternoon, said local police chief Irsan Sinuhaji.

He said rescuers retrieved the bodies of 11 children from mud and rubble hours later.

The National Disaster Mitigation Agency’s spokesman, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, said rescuers and villagers managed to rescue 17 other children and several teachers on Friday and pulled out the body of a child on Saturday near Aek Saladi river, close to the school.

A video obtained by The Associated Press showed relatives crying besides their loved ones at a health clinic where the bodies of the children were lying, covered with blankets.

Nugroho said two bodies were found early Saturday from a car washed away by floods in Mandailing Natal, where 17 houses collapsed and 12 were swept away. Hundreds of other homes were flooded up to 2 meters (7 feet) high, while landslides occurred in eight areas of the region.

Four villagers were killed after landslides hit 29 houses and flooded about 100 buildings in neighboring Sibolga district, Nugroho said.

He said flash floods also smashed several villages in West Sumatra province’s Tanah Datar district, killing five people, including two children, and leaving another missing. Landslides and flooding in the neighboring districts of Padang Pariaman and West Pasaman killed four villagers after 500 houses flooded and three bridges collapsed.

Both North and West Sumatra provinces declared a weeklong emergency relief period as hundreds of terrified survivors fled their hillside homes to safer ground, fearing more of the mountainside would collapse under continuing rain, Nugroho said, adding that dozens of injured people were rushed to nearby hospitals and clinics.

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

Copyright © 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.</s>At least 27 people were killed in rain-related incidents in Indonesia’s Sumatra, AP reported on Saturday. Rescue personnel are searching for several people, who have been reported missing.

An Islamic school in Mandailing Natal was washed away in a landslide triggered by the rain. Police chief Issan Sinuhahi said bodies of 11 children were retrieved from the debris after the flood swept away 29 children.

The floods also claimed lives and damaged structures in West Sumatra province’s Tanah Datar, Padang Pariaman and West Pasaman areas.

Local administrations in North and West Sumatra provinces have declared a week-long emergency.

“The disaster and search and rescue agency have gone to the districts but have been hampered by the landslides in several areas,” Riadil Lubis, head of North Sumatra disaster agency, told AFP.</s>MANDAILING NATAL (Sumatra)
• At least 22 people have died and many are missing after heavy rain unleashed flash floods and landslides in western Indonesia, an official said yesterday.

Heavy downpours since last Wednesday triggered flooding and landslides that hit several districts on Sumatra island.

At least 17 people were confirmed dead in the past three days in North Sumatra province, while five others were killed in West Sumatra, the authorities said.

Eleven students at an Islamic boarding school in Muara Saladi village in Mandailing Natal district, North Sumatra, died last Friday when mud and debris from a landslide smashed into their school, said national disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho.

Scores of people were believed to be buried under the mud after the flash floods, and the death toll might rise as assessment of the aftermath was still under way, he was quoted by Xinhua as saying.

Dozens of houses have also been destroyed.

"The disaster and search and rescue agency have gone to the districts but have been hampered by the landslides in several areas," head of the North Sumatra disaster agency Riadil Lubis told Agence France-Presse.

Landslides and flooding are common in Indonesia, a vast tropical archipelago prone to natural disasters and torrential downpours.

In February, 12 people died when an avalanche of mud and rock cascaded down a steep slope in central Java, Indonesia's main island.

In June 2016, nearly 50 people died when heavy downpours sent torrents of water, mud and rock into villages in Central Java.</s>At least 22 dead in Indonesia floods and landslides

MANDAILING NATAL: At least 22 people have died and many are missing after heavy rain unleashed flash floods and landslides in western Indonesia, an official said Saturday. Heavy downpours since Wednesday triggered flooding and landslides that hit several districts on Sumatra island. At least 17 people were confirmed killed in the last three days in North Sumatra province, while five others were killed in West Sumatra, authorities said. “Eleven students of an Islamic boarding school in Muara Saladi village, Mandailing Natal district, North Sumatra died Friday afternoon during class as they were struck by a building which was destroyed by the flash floods,” spokesman for the national disaster agency Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said. Dozens of houses have also been destroyed. “The disaster and search and rescue agency have gone to the districts but have been hampered by the landslides in several areas,” the head of North Sumatra disaster agency Riadil Lubis told AFP. Landslides and flooding are common in Indonesia, a vast tropical archipelago prone to natural disasters and torrential downpours. In February, 12 people died when an avalanche of mud and rock cascaded down a steep slope in central Java, Indonesia’s main island. In June 2016, nearly 50 people died when heavy downpours sent torrents of water, mud and rock into villages also in Central Java province.</s>MANDALING NATAL, Indonesia: At least 22 people have died and many are missing after heavy rain unleashed flash floods and landslides in western Indonesia, an official said

Heavy downpours since Wednesday triggered flooding and landslides that hit several districts on Sumatra island.

At least 17 people were confirmed killed in the last three days in North Sumatra province, while five others were killed in West Sumatra, authorities said.

"Eleven students of an Islamic boarding school in Muara Saladi village, Mandailing Natal district, North Sumatra died Friday afternoon during class as they were struck by a building which was destroyed by the flash floods," spokesman for the national disaster agency Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said. Dozens of houses have also been destroyed. "The disaster and search and rescue agency have gone to the districts.</s>JAKARTA, Indonesia — Torrential rains triggered flash floods and landslides on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, killing at least 27 people, including a dozen children at a school, officials said Saturday.

A flash flood with mud and debris from landslides struck Mandailing Natal district in North Sumatra province and smashed an Islamic school in Muara Saladi village, where 29 children were swept away on Friday, said local police chief Irsan Sinuhaji. He said rescuers retrieved the bodies of 11 children from mud and rubble hours later.

The National Disaster Mitigation Agency’s spokesman, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, said rescuers and villagers managed to rescue 17 other children and several teachers on Friday and pulled out the body of a child on Saturday near Aek Saladi river, close to the school.

A video obtained by the Associated Press showed relatives crying besides their loved ones at a health clinic where the bodies of the children were covered with blankets.

Nugroho said two bodies were found early Saturday from a car washed away by floods in Mandailing Natal, where 17 houses collapsed and 12 were swept away. Hundreds of other homes were flooded, while landslides occurred in eight areas of the region.

Four villagers were killed after landslides hit 29 houses and flooded about 100 buildings in neighboring Sibolga district, Nugroho said.

He said flash floods also smashed several villages in West Sumatra province’s Tanah Datar district, killing five people, including two children, and leaving another missing. Landslides and flooding in the neighboring districts of Padang Pariaman and West Pasaman killed four villagers after 500 houses flooded and three bridges collapsed.

Both North and West Sumatra provinces declared a weeklong emergency relief period as hundreds of survivors fled their hillside homes to safer ground, Nugroho said.</s>JAKARTA - A total of 22 people including children were killed and 15 others wounded as flash floods landslides struck West Sumatra and North Sumatra provinces of western Indonesia, a disaster agency official said on Saturday. The disaster also destroyed at least 48 houses while evacuation and search for the missing persons were underway, spokesman of the national disaster management agency Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said. Heavy downpours were blamed for the disasters in the districts of Pasaman and Tanah Datar of West Sumatra province, and the districts of Mandailing Natal and Sibolga town of North Sumatra province from Thursday to Friday, the spokesman added.

Among the casualties "11 children students of an Islamic school were killed after being hit by collapsing buildings in Muara Saladi village of Mandailing Natal during flash floods on Friday," Sutopo told Xinhua.

Scores of people were believed to be buried under the mud after the flash floods, and the death toll might rise as assessment of the aftermath was still underway, he noted.

Flash floods struck several villages in Tanah Datar and Pasaman districts of West Sumatra province, damaging houses.

Meanwhile, landslides took place in Sibolga town of North Sumatra, also destroying scores of houses.

Soldiers, police and rescuers were rushing to search and rescue the victims, but the missions were hampered by poor access, as the affected areas are remotely located near mountain with bad roads, said Sutopo.

The floods and landslides came as the country is reeling from a series of catastrophes, including the strong quakes in Lombok Island, as well as multiple strong quakes and an ensuing tsunami that left over 2,000 people dead in Central Sulawesi Province.

Indonesia is frequently hit by floods and landslides during heavy rains.</s>MANDAILING, Indonesia (AFP) - At least 10 people have died and as many are missing after heavy rain unleashed flash floods and landslides in western Indonesia, an official said on Saturday (Oct 13).

Heavy downpours since Wednesday triggered flooding and landslides that hit some 24 villages in Mandailing Natal district, North Sumatra province.

At least 10 people were confirmed killed while another 10 are missing at an Islamic boarding school that was buried by the landslides, the head of North Sumatra disaster agency Riadil Lubis said.

"The disaster and search and rescue agency have gone to the district but have been hampered by the landslides in several areas," Riadil Lubis told AFP.

Landslides and flooding are common in Indonesia, a vast tropical archipelago prone to natural disasters and torrential downpours.

In February, 12 people died when an avalanche of mud and rock cascaded down a steep slope in central Java, Indonesia's main island.

In June 2016, nearly 50 people died when heavy downpours sent torrents of water, mud and rock into villages also in Central Java province.</s>11 children have died after torrential rains, flash floods and landslides swept away their school on the Indonesian Island of Sumatra. The disaster has caused significant damage to hundreds of homes in the northern and western provinces of Sumatra. Officials says 22 lives have been claimed so far, but many more remain missing.

AT LEAST 27 people, including a dozen schoolchildren have been confirmed dead after flash floods and landslides in Indonesia.

An Islamic school in a North Sumatra province was struck by a flash flood, mud and debris on Friday. Local police chief Irsan Sinuhaji, confirmed 29 children were swept away.

The National Disaster Mitigation Agency’s spokesman, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho confirmed rescuers retrieved 11 bodies of students on Friday, while villagers and rescuers were able to save 17 children and several other teachers.

“Eleven students of an Islamic boarding school in Muara Saladi village, Mandailing Natal district, North Sumatra died Friday afternoon during class as they were struck by a building which was destroyed by the flash floods,” Mr Nugroho said.

North and West Sumatra provinces have announced a week-long emergency relief period and hundreds of villagers have fled their homes on the hillside, seeking safer ground and injured people are still being rushed to hospital.

Seasonal downpours in the region is common, as are landslides and floods.

On Saturday, a body was found in the Aek Saladi river, which is near the school.

In Mandailing Natal, 17 houses collapsed and 12 were swept away in floods, hundreds of homes were devestated and flooded up to 2 metres high. Two bodies were found in Mandailing Natal on Saturday morning, from a car being washed away in the floods.

In the neighbouring Sibolga district, four villagers were killed. Landslides hit 29 houses and about 100 buildings were flooded, according to Mr Nugroho.

In West Sumatra, several villages were affected by flash flooding. In Tanah Datar, five have been killed, including two children and another remains missing.

West Sumatra’s Padang Pariaman and West Pasaman districts were also devestated by landslides and flooding. Four villagers were killed while 500 homes flooded and three bridges collapsed.
At least 27 people die and many others disappear after heavy floods and landslides in Sumatra, Indonesia.