Landslides and floods kill at least 10 people in northern Indonesia

JAKARTA, Indonesia – Landslides and floods triggered by torrential rain in northern Indonesia have killed at least 10 people and sent hundreds fleeing for safe ground.

Disaster official Sutopo Purwo Nugroho says mud and rocks cascaded down hills Sunday in seven sub-districts of Manado, the capital of North Sulawesi province, while more than 1,000 houses were flooded after downpours caused a river to burst its banks.

He says nine bodies were pulled from the mud and wreckage of crumpled homes and another from water. About 1,200 people fled to temporary shelters.

Rescuers are searching for those who may still be buried beneath mud and rocks.

Seasonal downpours cause dozens of landslides and flash floods each year in Indonesia, where millions of people live in mountainous areas or near fertile flood plains.