Death toll in Indonesia flash floods rises to 36; 66 missing

JAKARTA, Indonesia – The death toll from flash floods in Indonesia’s South Sulawesi province rose to 36 on Friday, with the number of people reported missing increasing to 66, officials said.

National Search and Rescue Agency spokesman Yusuf Latif said four more people were confirmed dead, bringing the total to 36.

The chief of the North Luwu district Disaster Mitigation Agency, Muslim Muchsin, said more villagers had reported missing relatives.

“The data is still fluctuating,” he said. “As of Friday, there are 66 people reported as missing.”

A total of 14,483 people are staying in 76 evacuation centres in Masamba, Baebunta and Sabbang subdistricts.

North Luwu district official Indah Putri Indriani said the flooding began Monday evening and was triggered by heavy rains that caused three rivers to overflow.