A girl navigates through mud at the site of a landslide triggered by heavy rain in Semangat Gunung Village, Karo, North Sumatra province, Indonesia, on November 25, 2024. – Reuters

Rescue workers in western Indonesia employed heavy machinery on Tuesday to excavate areas affected by weekend flooding and landslides, which have claimed at least 20 lives, according to the national disaster agency. In North Sumatra, the bodies of five missing individuals were recovered from beneath a mound of mud and debris, stated agency spokesperson Abdul Muhari in a release. "All victims have been found deceased," he confirmed on Tuesday, noting that 10 people perished in a landslide in the Karo district. Beginning Saturday, heavy rainfall inundated four districts across northern Sumatra, resulting in fatal floods and landslides. Juspri Nadeak, disaster chief in the most affected Karo district, highlighted the possibility of discovering additional victims not yet reported missing. "The landslide area is near hot springs, so there's a chance tourists were affected," he informed AFP on Tuesday. "We continue to clear the mud and debris while preparing for the potential discovery of more victims." In a village within Deli Serdang district, where four deaths have been confirmed and two individuals remain missing, mud, logs, and rocks were strewn across the area where rescue operations were ongoing. "Electricity was cut off, and there's no cellphone reception, making communication challenging for rescuers," explained Iman Sitorus, a local search and rescue agency spokesperson, to AFP. Authorities have also mobilized heavy equipment to remove the debris. Indonesia has recently experienced a series of extreme weather events, which experts attribute to climate change. In May, at least 67 people died when a mixture of ash, sand, and pebbles from the eruption of Mount Marapi in West Sumatra caused flash floods in residential areas. The disaster agency revised its death toll to 15 and seven missing on Monday, following an earlier report of one additional death. The count rose to 20 on Tuesday with the discovery of five bodies in Karo district. The remaining victims were located in South Tapanuli, Padang Lawas, and Deli Serdang districts.

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