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Indonesia's death toll increases to 67 from Sumatra floods, 20 still missing

In tears, Yose Rizal, 43, placed flowers on the tombs of his sibling and niece, who passed away throughout the intense flooding in Indonesia's West Sumatra province. 3 of Yose's relatives are still missing out on.

Yose's household was having a meeting when the flash floods struck on Saturday evening, he said.

The water came very unexpected, it is challenging to leave, Yose told . Praise the Lord, my parents, who were at the meeting, survived

The number of individuals eliminated by flash floods and mud slides over the weekend has actually increased to 67, and 20 are still missing, authorities said on Thursday. The federal government prepares to transfer survivors to much safer areas.

Five who had actually been reported missing were discovered dead, increasing the death toll from 62 on Wednesday, the nationwide catastrophe management firm BNPB said in a declaration. More than 4,000 people have been evacuated to close-by buildings and momentary shelters.

At least 521 homes, 31,985 hectares (79,037 acres) of land, including rice fields, 19 bridges, and most main roadways were harmed.

The government plans to move survivors whose houses are unliveable and those living in disaster-prone areas, BNPB chief Suharyanto said in a statement.

BNPB and the West Sumatra provincial government are now collecting data on the number of individuals require to be relocated, and are looking for safe areas to build the new houses.

The federal government will supply the land and build your houses, Suharyanto stated, adding that the new houses would be ready within 6 months.

It is uncertain when the moving will start.

The weekend's heavy rains released flash floods, landslides, and cold lava flow - a mud-like mix of volcanic ash, rock debris and water. Three districts and one town were impacted.

The cold lava flow, understood in Indonesia as a lahar, originated from Mount Marapi, one of Sumatra's most active volcanoes. Its eruption in December killed more than 20 people, and more eruptions have actually followed ever since.

BNPB, helped by authorities and military, will continue browsing for the missing and tidy the main roadways over the next seven days.

A video shared by BNPB revealed logs, rocks and mud strewn over roadways, collapsed bridges and homes in Tanah Datar, one of the three districts in West Sumatra hit by the floods.

(source: Reuters)