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| Landslides in Java killed over 100 people last month |
Floods and
landslides triggered by days of torrential rain have left at least
49 people dead in the Indonesian province of West Sumatra.
Since the rains began last Monday, thousands of hectares of paddy
fields have been flooded and major provincial roads cut off.
The official
Antara news agency said the worst landslides struck early on Saturday
in the Pesisir Celatan and Tanah Datar districts, killing at least
42 people and engulfing dozens of villages in mud.
The death
toll is expected to rise as rescuers continue the search for residents.
Power cuts
The provincial
capital Padang was also cut off by flood waters on Saturday, and
its Tabing airport was unusable because the runway was inundated.
The Media
Indonesia daily reported that heavy rains and typhoons had knocked
down an electricity tower on Saturday, cutting power to several
parts of West Sumatra and neighbouring Riau.
In four districts
in the province, thousands of people have been evacuated to safer
ground.
West Sumatra's
public works office says it could take up to a month to clear
and repair roads.
Deforestation
The floods
have also affected areas around Banda Aceh, the capital of Aceh
province in the north-west of Sumatra island. Rivers have also
overflowed in Lhokseumawe in North Aceh.
Floods and
landslides struck Indonesia's main island of Java last month,
when at least 119 people lost their lives.
Monsoon rains
in Indonesia frequently lead to landslides in areas where land
has been weakened by deforestation.
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