LANDSLIDES, FLOODS KILL MORE THAN 100 IN EASTERN INDONESIA

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JAKARTA, APR 5: More than 100 people were killed and dozens are missing after floods and landslides hit East Nusa Tenggara province in eastern Indonesia, officials and media reports said on Monday.

Volcanic debris from Mount Lewotolo engulfed homes on Sunday following heavy rain, killing 20 people and leaving more than 60 missing, said Thomas Ola, the head of Lembata district in East Nusa Tenggara province.

“Fourteen villages are still totally isolated, with roads inaccessible,” Ola told dpa by phone.

The death toll is likely to increase as information was still being collected from villages, he said.

Mount Lewatolo has erupted intermittently since December.

In another part of the province, the death toll in flash floods and landslides that hit villages on Adonara island on Sunday rose to 73, Metro TV news channel reported.

Meanwhile, on nearby Alor island, similar disasters killed at least 11 people, according to the National Disaster Management Agency.

The climatology and meteorological agency predicted that some parts of Indonesia could face extreme weather, with heavy and torrential rain, strong winds and large waves during the week ahead.

Indonesia has recorded 968 disasters between the start of the year and March 30, with 870 of these wet hydro-meteorological hazards, including 414 caused by flooding.