Hundreds of homes buried in the mud in Sulawesi, Indonesia, have been flooded, killing at least 15 people and leaving dozens missing, officials said Tuesday.
The island's disaster relief agency said a search and rescue operation was underway at the North Lau Regency to search for missing persons as three rivers were likely to flood and mudslide.
"As of this afternoon, we have received reports from local residents that their relatives are missing. Dozens of them are missing," Muslim Muchsin, head of the North Louvre Mitigation and Rescue Agency, told AFP.
Hundreds of homes as well as government offices and public facilities were dumped three to five meters (10–16 ft) into the mud.
“We can only see the roofs of houses from a distance,” Muchasin said.
The agency said 2,000 people were being sheltered in makeshift shelters in northern Louvre, but that floods and mudslides were hampering efforts.
"We are now focusing on removing debris so that road flooding is gone so we can open access to the site to provide logistics," Muchasin said.
Ind's daughter Indriyani said the rescue team found 15 of the dead on Tuesday.
"From the latest figures I received alone in the Radda sub-division, there are 56 missing persons, but their number may be high, though some villages cannot be reached," Inda told his office.
Earlier this year, flash floods and landslides killed at least 70 people in the Indonesian capital Jakarta and the surrounding island of Java.
The Southeast Asian archipelago floods regularly during the monsoon season.
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