Torrential rains sparked devastating consequences on Sumatra Island, Indonesia, as cascades of cold lava and mud descended from a volcano’s slopes, claiming numerous lives and leaving many missing.
At least 41 individuals perished, with over a dozen still unaccounted for, according to officials.
The calamity unfolded late Saturday night when monsoon downpours and a substantial mudslide, originating from Mount Merapi’s cold lava flow, breached a river’s banks, wreaking havoc on villages across four districts in West Sumatra province.
Abdul Muhari, spokesperson for the National Disaster Management Agency, reported that the floods engulfed people and submerged over 100 structures.
Defined as a mixture of volcanic material and pebbles, cold lava, or lahar, descends down volcanic slopes during rainfall, intensifying the destructive force of natural disasters.
Ilham Wahab, an official from West Sumatra’s disaster mitigation agency, disclosed that as of Monday morning, the death toll stood at 41, with 17 individuals still missing.
Among the hardest-hit areas were the Agam and Tanah Datar districts, where three and fourteen individuals respectively were unaccounted for.
In Agam, half of the deceased were recovered from the village of Canduang, while others were found in Tanah Datar and Padang Pariaman regions.
Flash floods not only claimed lives but also rendered main roads impassable in Tanah Datar, obstructing access to neighboring cities, as confirmed by local police chief Kartyana Putra.
Visuals released by Basarnas depicted roads submerged under murky brown waters, illustrating the magnitude of the disaster.
This catastrophe struck merely two months after heavy rainfall triggered floods and landslides in West Sumatra’s Pesisir Selatan and Padang Pariaman districts, claiming 21 lives and leaving five individuals missing.
Mount Marapi, towering at 2,885 meters (9,465 feet), had erupted late last year, resulting in the tragic demise of 23 climbers caught off guard.
The volcano has maintained its alert status at level three since 2011, signifying heightened volcanic activity and necessitating the evacuation of climbers and villagers within a radius of over 3 kilometers (approximately 2 miles) from the summit, as outlined by Indonesia’s Center for Volcanology and geological disaster mitigation.
Renowned for unpredictable eruptions stemming from shallow sources near the peak, Marapi poses significant challenges in prediction, unlike those triggered by deep-seated magma movements that register on seismic monitors.
Following a non-fatal eruption in January 2023, Mount Merapi has remained active, adding to Indonesia’s roster of over 120 active volcanoes.
Situated within the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” Indonesia’s geographical positioning renders it susceptible to seismic disturbances caused by the convergence of volcanic arcs and tectonic fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin.
Putin’s Cabinet Shake-Up: Shoigu Out, Economist Belousov In As Defense Minister
