At least 15 people have been killed and many others are missing after heavy rains and landslides hit Indonesia’s Natuna region, bordering the South China Sea. The country’s disaster officials said this on Monday. Photos and videos from the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) showed landslides in forested areas and homes on the remote island of Serasan. Houses and trees have become ruins. Abdul Rahman, head of Natuna Search and Rescue Agency, said that 50 people were reported missing and 15 people were killed. Meanwhile, BNPB said on Twitter that the search and rescue operations at the site are being disrupted due to landslides and rain. Besides, the communication between the island of Borneo and Peninsular Malaysia has been cut off. Junainah, another spokesperson of the organization, said, “The climate is changing. The wind is still blowing strongly. Due to the tide, the waves are also increasing. A search and rescue team of 60 people left for the island on Monday afternoon. It is expected to take seven to eight hours to reach there by boat. National Disaster Management Agency spokesman Sutopo Puruo Nagroho said on Tuesday night that three people were injured in the natural disaster in Sinaresmi village in Sukabumi district. He also said that 30 houses of the village were buried in the landslide. It is believed that several bodies are buried under the soil and stones. Rescue workers are trying to recover the bodies. BNPB spokesperson Abdul Muhari said helicopters will be sent on Tuesday to speed up logistics delivery. It should be noted that disaster-prone Indonesia has massive landslides during the rainy season. Due to deforestation, this crisis is getting more and more acute. Apart from this, heavy rains also caused severe floods in different parts of the country.
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