MOTHER NATURE

Fatal Landslides Hit Indonesia, Colombia

Colombia reports 112 dead, and Indonesia has dozens missing.

Both Indonesia and Colombia suffered fatal landslides on Saturday after heavy rain. At least 112 people in southwest Colombia were killed in multiple landslides, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos said. The local hospital was reportedly struggling to treat all the injured, and authorities have yet to determine the number of those missing. Colombian troops have been sent to the area in Putumayo province to handle emergency response measures, Santos said. Local authorities painted a grim picture of the landslides’ aftermath, saying entire neighborhoods were buried and areas cut off from electricity and water. A total of 17 neighborhoods were affected, according to Mocoa Mayor Jose Antonio Castro, who said his home was also damaged. President Santos traveled to the affected area on Saturday, telling the victims that his “heart and the hearts of all Colombians” are with them.

In Indonesia, more than two dozen people were missing in the East Java province after a landslide buried a village. Authorities said one body was found by rescuers, though 26 people remained missing in Banaran village. Villagers said 38 people were buried by the landslide – 22 while in their houses and another 16 while out harvesting ginger. At least 17 people were injured, according to a spokesman for Indonesia's Disaster Mitigation Agency cited by the Associated Press. Rescuers, soldiers, police officers and volunteers all took part in search efforts, but the rescue operation was called off after it started raining again. “The search was halted and will be resumed tomorrow because the weather conditions and unstable terrain could lead to more landslides,” said Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, a spokesman for the Disaster Mitigation Agency.