Many people dead and missing due to landslides in Indonesia

Rescue workers have recovered the bodies of four people following a landslide in Agam district in Indonesia’s West Sumatra province on the morning of January 26. According to the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA), the landslide injured three people and left 18 missing.

NDMA spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said the injured had been taken to hospital and rescue workers were searching for the missing. Police, military and local residents were coordinating the search and rescue operation with the help of various equipment.

The landslide occurred at around 6:45 a.m. on January 26 (local time), following heavy rains since January 25. Fifteen houses were buried in the landslide.

Searching for victims after the landslide. (Source: Reuters)

Meanwhile, flooding in the northeastern Australian state of Queensland has left at least one person missing and hundreds of families evacuated as the first storm of the season sweeps through the state. Further north in Queensland, major flooding is forecast in Bundaberg and Gladstone, threatening hundreds of homes and businesses, including some rebuilt after the 2011 floods.

An emergency evacuation warning was issued in Bundaberg after the Burnett River burst its banks on the afternoon of January 27 (local time). The river is expected to reach more than 9m, surpassing the 7.92m peak recorded during the 2011 floods.

The Insurance Council of Australia has declared a state of disaster for the state, saying some areas have suffered severe flooding. About 900 families have been evacuated from Gladstone and about 100 tourists have been taken to a community centre at Rainbow Beach. At least one international flight was diverted from Brisbane to Sydney due to strong winds, while Qantas has cancelled some domestic flights.

Queensland Premier Campbell Newman said the military was ready to assist in disaster relief./.

According to (TTXVN) - DT