JAKARTA: Indonesian rescuers are searching for passengers trapped in a minibus buried in mud after flash floods and landslides hit several locations in North Sumatra province, killing at least 27, an official said on Thursday.
Torrential rain in the province since last week had caused flash floods and landslides in four different districts, Indonesia’s disaster agency has said.
A landslide in a village in Deli Serdang on Wednesday killed seven and injured 20, Hadi Wahyudi, North Sumatra police spokesperson told Reuters.
Rescuers were looking for missing people, including those trapped in a minibus and other vehicles on a hilly interprovince road hit by a mudslide, he said, adding he could not give an estimate for the number of affected people.
In other places, rescuers have found 20 dead during a search that started over the weekend. They are still searching for two missing.
“Today, we’re focusing our search to find missing people and clearing the roads affected by the landslides,” said Hadi, adding excavators were deployed.
The landslides and flash floods damaged houses, mosques, and rice fields.
Heavy rains also triggered floods in the provincial capital of Medan, forcing a delay in votes for a regional election in some polling stations.
Extreme weather is expected in Indonesia toward the end of 2024, as the La Nina phenomenon increases rainfalls across the tropical archipelago, the country’s weather agency has warned.
Landslides in Indonesia’s Sumatra kill at least 27, rescuers search for missing
https://arab.news/949y2
Landslides in Indonesia’s Sumatra kill at least 27, rescuers search for missing
- Torrential rain in the province since last week had caused flash floods and landslides in four different districts
- Extreme weather is expected in Indonesia toward the end of 2024, as the La Nina phenomenon increases rainfalls across the tropical archipelago
Russian envoy reports ‘productive meeting’ with US negotiators
- The discussions in Florida come after the United States lifted some sanctions on Russian oil earlier this week
- Trump said this week that Putin wanted to be “helpful” in relation to the Middle East war
WASHINGTON: Russian President Vladimir Putin’s envoy said Wednesday that he had joined a “productive meeting” with US negotiators, the first talks between Moscow and Washington since the start of the Iran war.
The discussions in Florida come after the United States lifted some sanctions on Russian oil earlier this week — imposed because of Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine — to ease prices as war engulfed the Middle East.
“Thank you, Steve, Jared, and Josh, for a productive meeting,” Russian negotiator Kirill Dmitriev posted on X, referring to US President Donald Trump’s roving global envoy Steve Witkoff, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, and White House Senior Adviser Josh Gruenbaum.
“The teams discussed a variety of topics and agreed to stay in touch,” Witkoff posted earlier.
Trump said this week that Putin, to whom he spoke on Monday, wanted to be “helpful” in relation to the Middle East war.
Dmitriev said after the Florida meeting that Washington was “beginning to better understand” the importance of Russian oil.
“We discussed promising projects that could contribute to the restoration of Russian-American relations and the current crisis on global energy markets,” he wrote in a Telegram post.
“Today, many countries, primarily the United States, are beginning to better understand the key, systemic role of Russian oil and gas in ensuring the stability of the global economy, as well as the ineffectiveness and destructive nature of sanctions against Russia.”
