PADANG, Indonesia (AP) — The death toll from floods and landslides on the Indonesian island of Sumatra rose to 174 on Friday, with 79 people missing, authorities said.
Rescuers were hampered by damaged bridges and roads, as well as a lack of heavy equipment.
The death toll in North Sumatra province rose to 116, while 35 people died in Aceh. Rescuers also recovered 23 bodies in West Sumatra, National Disaster Mitigation Agency chief Suharyanto said.
The tropical cyclone is expected to continue to hit the Southeast Asian country for several days, the Indonesian Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency said.
THIS IS BREAKING NEWS. AP's earlier story appears below.
PADANG, Indonesia (AP) — Rescuers were hampered Friday by damaged bridges and roads and a lack of heavy equipment after floods and landslides on the Indonesian island of Sumatra left 82 people dead and dozens missing.
The tropical cyclone is expected to continue to hit the Southeast Asian country for several days, the Indonesian Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency said.
On Tuesday, rivers in North Sumatra province overflowed their banks due to monsoon rains. The flood swept through mountain villages, washing away people and inundating more than 3,200 houses and buildings, according to the National Disaster Management Agency. About 3,000 displaced families fled to government shelters.
In other provinces on the islands of Aceh and West Sumatra, thousands of houses were flooded, many up to their roofs, the agency said.
The death toll in North Sumatra province rose to 55 as rescue teams struggled to reach affected areas in 12 towns and districts in North Sumatra province, National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman Abdul Mukhari said. He increased the number of people still missing in the province to 41 from an initial report of 88 after a coordination meeting with local authorities on Friday.
Landslides affecting much of the area, power outages and lack of telecommunications are hampering search efforts, said Ferry Wulantukan, a spokesman for the North Sumatra regional police.
In West Sumatra province, floods hit 15 cities and districts, killing at least 21 people, Mukhari said, citing data provided by West Sumatra's vice governor. The number of missing people is still unclear.
The West Sumatra Disaster Mitigation Agency said the flooding had inundated more than 17,000 homes, forcing about 23,000 residents to flee to temporary shelters. Rice fields, livestock and public facilities were also destroyed, while bridges and roads cut off by floods and landslides isolated residents.
In Aceh province, authorities struggled to move excavators and other heavy equipment through washed out roads after heavy rains dumped mud and rocks on hilly villages. At least six people were killed and 11 missing in three villages in central Aceh.
The extreme weather was caused by tropical cyclone Senyar, which formed in the Strait of Malacca, said Achadi Subarka Rahardjo of the Indonesian Agency of Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics.
He warned that unstable atmospheric conditions meant extreme weather could persist as long as the cyclone system remained active.
“We have extended the extreme weather warning due to the strong influx of water vapor and changing atmospheric dynamics,” Rahardjo said.
Senyar increased rainfall, strong winds and high waves in Aceh, North Sumatra, West Sumatra, Riau and nearby areas before dissipating. Prolonged downpours have made steep, saturated areas highly vulnerable to natural disasters, he said.
Seasonal rains often cause floods and landslides in Indonesia, an archipelago of 17,000 islands where millions of people live in mountainous areas or near fertile floodplains.
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Carmini reported from Jakarta, Indonesia.
