Jakarta: Sixty-seven people have been reported missing, while more than 14,000 others were displaced due to flash floods in Indonesia’s Sulawesi province, authorities said on Saturday, adding that search and rescue operations were under way.
So far, rescue teams have retrieved a total of 36 bodies, reports Xinhua news agency.
The rescuers focused their efforts in the villages of Sabbang, Baebunta, Pontaden, Meli, and Masamba city, the hardest-hit areas in Luwu Utara district, said a provincial official. “The mud has submerged the villages by up to two metres. Most of the bodies were recovered from the mud. Logs were also found on roads and many other spots, slowing the rescuers’ efforts,” he told Xinhua.
Heavy machinery equipment has also been deployed in the area. (IANS)