19 dead in floods, landslides in Indonesia

The death toll of floods and landslides in Indonesia's West Sumatra province rose to 19, and 7 others were still missing, a senior official of the disaster agency said on Saturday, reported Xinhua.

The province has been stricken by the natural disaster since Thursday as the rivers could not accommodate excessive waters from heavy downpours, said Muharrindo Idwan, senior official at the provincial disaster management and mitigation agency.

"Most of the casualties were found in Pesisir Selatan regency. A total of 16 bodies were discovered there and 7 others remained unfound. The rest of the deceased were found in Pariaman regency," Idwan told Xinhua over phone, adding that two residents were also wounded in the regency of Pariaman.

"The victims were not only swept away by strong currents, but also buried by soils during the landslides," he said.

The strong currents collapsed and submerged 16 bridges, cut off roads and swept away houses, which hampered the distribution of aid for the affected people, he added.

The aid needs another access, which takes a longer time, Idwan said.

Head of the Emergency Unit of the Provincial Disaster Management and Mitigation Agency Fajar Sukma said on Saturday that the floods have receded, but tens of thousands of houses remained submerged.

An operation to search and rescue the missing persons was still ongoing, involving personnel of the disaster agency, soldiers, policemen and volunteers, said Sukma.

Emergency relief efforts have been undertaken by the agency and other government institutions, he said.