Indonesia : dead and missing due to floods and cold lava flows in Sumatra

The death toll from floods and cold lava flows on the island of Sumatra in western Indonesia has risen to 41 dead and 17 missing, according to a senior official at the local disaster management agency.

Agence France-Presse quoted Elham Wahab, an official at the local disaster management agency, as saying, “Last night, we recorded 37 deaths... but since this morning, the number has risen further, reaching 41” deaths.

Wahab added that rescuers are searching for 17 people who are still missing.

The official confirmed that the authorities are still receiving reports of missing persons, while he was unable to determine the number of people who were evacuated.

The tragedy occurred on Saturday at about 22:30 local time (15:30 GMT) in the provinces of Agam and Tanah Datar in the west of the island of Sumatra, where heavy rain fell for hours on the region.

The heavy rains caused flash floods and a torrent of cold lava originating from Mount Marapi, a volcanic mountain located on the island.

Cold lava is a mixture of different materials that make up the volcanic mountain, including ash, sand, and rocks, which may mix due to rain and flow along the volcanic mountain.