At least 34 killed in Indonesia floods, 16 missing

TANAH DATAR, Indonesia: At least 34 people were killed and 16 more were missing in western Indonesia after flash floods and cold lava flow from one of the archipelago´s most active volcanos damaged homes, roads and mosques, officials said Sunday.

Hours of heavy rain caused flooding in Agam and Tanah Datar districts in West Sumatra province on Saturday evening, threatening thousands of people after the downpours swept ash and large rocks down Mount Marapi.

“I heard the thunder and the sound similar to boiling water. It was the sound of big rocks falling,” housewife Rina Devina told AFP, adding that three of her neighbours were killed.

“It was pitch black, so I used my cellphone as a flashlight. The road was muddy, so I chanted ´God, have mercy!´ over and over again,” she said of her evacuation to a local official´s office.

West Sumatra disaster agency said 16 people died in Agam district and 18 in Tanah Datar, with 18 people injured overall. “We are also still searching for 16 other people,” agency spokesman Ilham Wahab said.