JAKARTA: Indonesian rescuers were struggling on Tuesday to reach cut-off villages in Sumatra, where over 700 people were killed and more than 500 remain missing following the most devastating floods and landslides in decades.
The floods and landslides, which were triggered by extreme weather linked to tropical cyclones Senyar and Koto, hit the provinces of North Sumatra, West Sumatra and Aceh last week and displaced some 1.1 million people, according to Indonesia’s National Disaster Mitigation Agency.
The death toll climbed to 744 on Tuesday afternoon, as search efforts continued for at least 551 people who have been recorded missing.
“Search and rescue efforts are ongoing and a priority for the team on the ground,” said Abdul Muhari, spokesman of Indonesia’s disaster management agency, during a livestreamed press conference.
In Aceh province, which was the site of a cataclysmic tsunami in 2004, at least three regencies were still inaccessible by land, he added.
