PANORA

Home About Us Contact Us Blog News

Flash Flood in West Sumatra, Indonesia Kills Dozens

Published: 12 May 2024 at 08:34

Natural Disasters

A flash flood in Agam, West Sumatra, Indonesia, triggered by heavy rains and torrents of cold lava and mud from a volcano on Sumatra island, has resulted in the death of more than a dozen people and injuries to several others on Sunday, May 12, 2024.

DEEP DIVE


Flash floods and landslides kill at least 26 people in Indonesia


Flash floods and landslides in West Sumatra province, Indonesia, have resulted in the death of at least 26 people with 11 others missing. Rescuers are facing challenges due to power outages, damaged infrastructure, and ongoing heavy rains. More than 37,000 houses and buildings have been submerged, with significant damage to bridges, mosques, schools, and agricultural land. Indonesia, with its archipelago of over 17,000 islands, frequently experiences landslides and floods during heavy monsoon seasons.

Flash floods and landslide in Indonesia's Sumatra island leave 19 dead and 7 missing


Days of torrential rainfall in Indonesia's Sumatra island led to flash floods and a landslide, killing 19 people with 7 others missing. Mud, rocks, and uprooted trees swept through villages in West Sumatran province. Rescue efforts were hindered by power outages and blocked roads. Over 80,000 people sought refuge in temporary shelters. Indonesia's National Disaster Management Agency reported injuries to at least 2 villagers. Flash floods and landslides are common in Indonesia, affecting millions living near floodplains, particularly during the rainy season.

Flood and Landslide Hit Indonesia's Sulawesi Island, Killing 14 People


14 people were killed in Indonesia's Sulawesi island due to a flood and landslide triggered by torrential rain in the Luwu district. The floods, reaching up to 3 meters high, affected 13 sub-districts, damaging over 1,000 houses with 42 swept off their foundations. Search and rescue teams evacuated residents using rubber boats, relocating over 100 people to mosques or relatives' houses. Seasonal heavy rainfalls in Indonesia lead to frequent landslides and floods, impacting mountainous regions and floodplains where millions reside across the island chain.

Torrential rains trigger deadly landslides in Indonesia, killing at least 14 and leaving others missing


Heavy rainfall on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi led to landslides in the Tana Toraja district, causing at least 14 deaths and leaving three people missing. Search and rescue operations are ongoing in the affected villages of Makale and South Makale, with emergency response efforts hindered by challenging conditions including downed communication lines, bad weather, and damaged roads. Similar recent incidents occurred in Sumatra and central Indonesia, highlighting the country's vulnerability to seasonal downpours causing landslides and floods.

Flooding in New South Wales, Australia Leads to Rescues and Evacuations


Heavy rains in New South Wales, Australia led to 152 rescues and warnings for residents to move to higher ground as 72 rescues were undertaken in Sydney where the Warragamba Dam, a major water supplier, spilled earlier than expected. Emergency evacuation orders were in place, with 4,128 calls for help received by the New South Wales State Emergency Service. Flood waters are expected to rise further, with thousands evacuated and power outages reported. Disaster assistance funding has been made available to affected residents in multiple local government areas.

2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami (Wikipedia)


On 26 December 2004, at 07:58:53 local time (UTC+7), a major earthquake with a magnitude of 9.1–9.3 Mw struck with an epicentre off the west coast of northern Sumatra, Indonesia. The undersea megathrust earthquake, known by the scientific community as the Sumatra–Andaman earthquake, was caused by a rupture along the fault between the Burma Plate and the Indian Plate, and reached a Mercalli intensity up to IX in some areas.A massive tsunami with waves up to 30 m (100 ft) high, known in some countries as the Boxing Day Tsunami after the Boxing Day holiday, devastated communities along the surrounding coasts of the Indian Ocean, killing an estimated 227,898 people in 14 countries in one of the deadliest natural disasters in recorded history. The direct results caused major disruptions to living conditions and commerce in coastal provinces of surrounded countries, including Aceh (Indonesia), Sri Lanka, Tamil Nadu (India) and Khao Lak (Thailand). Banda Aceh reported the largest number of deaths. It remains the deadliest natural disaster of the 21st century.It was the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in Asia, the most powerful earthquake in the 21st century, and at least the third most powerful earthquake ever recorded in the world since modern seismography began in 1900. It had the longest fault rupture ever observed, between 1,200 km to 1,300 km (720 mi to 780 mi), and had the longest duration of faulting ever observed, at least ten minutes. It caused the planet to vibrate as much as 10 mm (0.4 in), and also remotely triggered earthquakes as far away as Alaska. Its epicentre was between Simeulue and mainland Sumatra. The plight of the affected people and countries prompted a worldwide humanitarian response, with donations totalling more than US$14 billion (equivalent to US$22 billion in 2022 currency).

Eruptions from Mount Ruang volcano in Indonesia lead to evacuations and flight cancellations


Mount Ruang, a 725-meter volcano on Ruang Island in North Sulawesi, Indonesia, has been erupting since mid-April, causing fresh evacuation orders, airport closures, and flight cancellations. The eruptions on Tuesday prompted Indonesia's national volcano agency to issue a tsunami alert. More than 12,000 people have been called to evacuate, with nearby schools closed to protect from volcanic ash. Flights in the area, including those from airlines like Air Asia and Malaysia Airlines, have been canceled due to volcanic ash reaching eastern Malaysian airspace.

Environmental Degradation Worsening Natural Disasters in Indonesia


Environmental groups in Indonesia are increasingly concerned about how deforestation and environmental degradation are amplifying the impacts of natural disasters like floods, landslides, drought, and forest fires in areas such as Pesisir Selatan, West Sumatra.

Seulawah Agam (Wikipedia)


Seulawah Agam is an extensive forested stratovolcano located at the northwestern tip of Sumatra. Several names have been given to the mountain: Seulawaih Agam, Seulawain Agam, Solawa Agam, Solawaik Agam, Selawadjanten and Goldberg.The volcano was formed during the Pleistocene-Holocene age. The mountain has a large caldera, called Lam Teuba. A smaller 8×6 km caldera is within the Lam Teuba caldera. The volcano contains several hills: sedimentary hills, old volcano hills, a volcanic cone and peneplain area. The volcanic cone was formed by lava and pyroclastic flows. There are three craters. The Tanah Cempago crater is easily recognized, while the other two are covered with vegetation.As of January 2013, Seulawah Agam is showing signs of renewed activity. Localised seismicity has been recorded in the vicinity of the volcano.

Rescue of Caramelo the Horse in Brazil Floods


A horse named Caramelo was stranded on a roof during severe flooding in Brazil's Rio Grande do Sul, gaining national attention. After a dramatic rescue operation involving firefighters and veterinarians sedating and immobilizing the horse, Caramelo, weighing 350 kilograms, was successfully removed and is now recovering at a veterinary hospital. The floods in Rio Grande do Sul have caused over 113 deaths, displaced 230,000 people, and left 136 missing. The extreme weather in Brazil is part of a series of wild weather swings globally, with heatwaves affecting countries like India, the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Maldives, Myanmar, and various parts of Africa.

Agam Regency (Wikipedia)


Agam Regency (Indonesian: Kabupaten Agam) is a regency of West Sumatra, Indonesia. It has an area of 2,226.27 km2 and had a population of 454,853 at the 2010 census and 529,138 at the 2020 census; the official estimate as at mid 2022 was 540,905. The regency seat is the town of Lubuk Basung. Bukittinggi city is surrounded by this regency but is not administratively included in it.Lake Maninjau, a crater lake, is a well-known landmark of the regency, and is used as a site for paragliding. This lake is also a primary tourist destination in West Sumatra.

Bus Crash in West Java Kills Students and Teachers


A bus carrying high school students and teachers in West Java, Indonesia, crashed into cars and motorbikes, killing at least 11 people and injuring dozens as its brakes malfunctioned, according to officials. The accident occurred as the bus was returning from a graduation celebration. Road accidents are common in Indonesia due to poor safety standards and infrastructure.

Sumatra (Wikipedia)


Sumatra () is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the sixth-largest island in the world at 475,807.63 km2 (182,812 mi.2), including adjacent islands such as the Simeulue, Nias, Mentawai, Enggano, Riau Islands, Bangka Belitung and Krakatoa archipelago.Sumatra is an elongated landmass spanning a diagonal northwest–southeast axis. The Indian Ocean borders the northwest, west, and southwest coasts of Sumatra, with the island chain of Simeulue, Nias, Mentawai, and Enggano off the western coast. In the northeast, the narrow Strait of Malacca separates the island from the Malay Peninsula, which is an extension of the Eurasian continent. In the southeast, the narrow Sunda Strait, containing the Krakatoa Archipelago, separates Sumatra from Java. The northern tip of Sumatra is near the Andaman Islands, while off the southeastern coast lie the islands of Bangka and Belitung, Karimata Strait and the Java Sea. The Bukit Barisan mountains, which contain several active volcanoes, form the backbone of the island, while the northeastern area contains large plains and lowlands with swamps, mangrove forest and complex river systems. The equator crosses the island at its centre in West Sumatra and Riau provinces. The climate of the island is tropical, hot, and humid. Lush tropical rain forest once dominated the landscape.Sumatra has a wide range of plant and animal species but has lost almost 50% of its tropical rainforest in the last 35 years. Many species are now critically endangered, such as the Sumatran ground cuckoo, the Sumatran tiger, the Sumatran elephant, the Sumatran rhinoceros, and the Sumatran orangutan. Deforestation on the island has also resulted in serious seasonal smoke haze over neighbouring countries, such as the 2013 Southeast Asian haze which caused considerable tensions between Indonesia and affected countries Malaysia and Singapore. The widespread deforestation and other environmental destruction in Sumatra and other parts of Indonesia has often been described by academics as an ecocide.

Flash Flood in West Sumatra, Indonesia Kills Dozens Flash Flood in West Sumatra, Indonesia Kills Dozens Flash Flood in West Sumatra, Indonesia Kills Dozens

SOURCES

Al Jazeera

At least 14 dead, several missing in Indonesia flash floods, cold lava flow

Al Jazeera

ABC News

Flash floods and cold lava flow hit Indonesia’s Sumatra island, killing at least 15 people

ABC News

Yahoo! News

Flash floods and cold lava flow hit Indonesia’s Sumatra island, killing at least 15 people

Yahoo! News

AP News

Flash floods and cold lava flow hit Indonesia’s Sumatra island, killing at least 15 people

AP News

PANORA

Flash floods and landslides kill at least 26 people in Indonesia

PANORA

PANORA

Flash floods and landslide in Indonesia's Sumatra island leave 19 dead and 7 missing

PANORA

PANORA

Flood and Landslide Hit Indonesia's Sulawesi Island, Killing 14 People

PANORA

PANORA

Torrential rains trigger deadly landslides in Indonesia, killing at least 14 and leaving others missing

PANORA

PANORA

Flooding in New South Wales, Australia Leads to Rescues and Evacuations

PANORA

Wikipedia

2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami

Wikipedia

PANORA

Eruptions from Mount Ruang volcano in Indonesia lead to evacuations and flight cancellations

PANORA

PANORA

Environmental Degradation Worsening Natural Disasters in Indonesia

PANORA

Wikipedia

Seulawah Agam

Wikipedia

PANORA

Rescue of Caramelo the Horse in Brazil Floods

PANORA

Wikipedia

Agam Regency

Wikipedia

PANORA

Bus Crash in West Java Kills Students and Teachers

PANORA

Wikipedia

Sumatra

Wikipedia