Indonesia floods and landslides kill 17 on Sumatra island

Rescue teams were struggling to reach affected areas in six regencies of North Sumatra province after the monsoon rains over the past week caused rivers to burst their banks, tearing through hilly villages as mud, rocks and trees tumbled down, leaving destruction in their wake, the National Police said in a statement.

Rescuers by Wednesday had recovered at least five bodies and three injured people in the worst-hit city of Sibolga and were searching for four villagers who were reported missing, the statement said.

In the neighbouring district of Central Tapanuli, landslides hit several homes, killing at least a family of four, and floods submerged nearly 2,000 houses and buildings.

Rescuers retrieved seven more bodies in South Tapanuli district, raising the death toll to eight, after floods and landslides also uprooted trees, prompting more than 2,800 residents to flee to temporary shelters and injuring 58 others, said National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesperson Abdul Muhari.

He said landslides also hit 50 houses in North Tapanuli district and destroyed at least two main bridges in the region. Floods had cut off a bridge in Mandailing Natal and submerged hundreds of houses in the hilly district and its neighbouring Padang Sidempuan city, while a main road was blocked by mud and debris on Nias island.