At a Glance
- Torrential rains have caused multiple disasters in the Southeast Asian island nations.
- Landslide debris has hampered search and rescue missions.
- Tropical Cyclone Seroja is expected to affect the islands for several days.
Torrential rain from a tropical system has caused landslides and flooding that has left dozens of people dead and dozens more missing in Indonesia and neighboring East Timor.
At least 70 people died in Indonesia and 21 died in East Timor over the weekend, according to the Associated Press.
Early Monday, the system strengthened into Tropical Cyclone Seroja in the Savu Sea off of Kupang in Indonesia's East Nusa Tenggara province. It was moving southwest well off the northwest Australia coast but was expected to continue causing problems for the Southeast Asian nations for days.
"The mud and the extreme weather have become a serious challenge and the debris piling up has hampered the search and rescue team," said Indonesian Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesperson Raditya Djati, according to the BBC.
Thomas Ola Langoday, deputy head of the district government on Lembata island, told Reuters, “We are using rubber boats to find bodies at sea. In several villages, flash floods hit while people were sleeping.”
Also on Lembata, the rain loosened solidified lava from an eruption in November of Ili Lewotolok volcano. The stone tumbled into several villages, killing at least 11 people, AP reported. At least 16 others are still buried under tons of hardened lava.
In the Malaka district on Timor island, floodwaters as deep as 12 feet forced residents to climb onto their roofs.
“We had to dismantle the zinc roof. We went out through the back door and pulled ourselves out with a rope,” Agustina Luruk told Reuters.
A mudslide slammed into dozens of homes on Adonara island in East Nusa Tenggara province. Floodwaters washed away 40 houses in Oyang Barang village.
In West Nusa Tenggara province, floodwaters submerged 10,000 homes in the village of Bima, AP reported.
At least 11 people have died in Dili, the capital of East Timor. At least 10 bodies were recovered elsewhere in the tiny nation, which shares Timor island with Indonesia.
“We are still searching for the areas impacted by the natural disasters” and the toll could rise, said Joaquim José Gusmão dos Reis Martins, the nation's secretary of state for civil protection, according to AP.
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