Thousands of houses inundated by flood In North Sumatra

Two people drowned and one is reported missing after his house was swept away by swift river current after floods hit four districts in North Sumatra Sunday and Monday.

The districts were Nias Selatan, Tanpanuli Tengah, Nias Barat and Mandailing Natal.

Thousands of homes were reported flooded, some up to three metres, in a disaster caused by heavy rain for more than 24 hours on Saturday.

Two people were found drowned in Maniamolo, Nias Selatan where the water levels of several rivers went up between two and 10 metres and flooding several settlements, said the National Agency for Disaster Management on Monday.

A 68-year-old man in Lingga Bayu, Mandailing Natal was still reported missing after a riverside house he was staying in with three others was swept away by swift current early this morning. The other three were safe.

The flood also resulted in several areas in Nias Selatan being cut off when landslides blocked roads. Landslides also occurred in the district of Mandailing Natal.

More than 1,000 victims in Nias Selatan were moved to relief centres while those in the other three districts were either still at home or putting up with neighbours.

North Sumatra Disaster Management Agency and other related agencies had been mobilised and were setting up emergency aid coordination centres and also extended logistic aid to several areas.