Ten people were reportedly killed and eight others were missing after flood swept through several parts of Bengkulu province on Friday (April 26),
The 10 consisted of two from Bengkulu city, six from Central Bengkulu district. and two from Kepahiang district. Chief of the Bengkulu Provincial Disaster Mitigation Board (BPBD) Rusdi Bakar said on Sunday.
Incessant rains caused several rivers in Bengkulu to overflow their banks on Friday night, flooding several parts of the province.
The flood also caused landslides, cutting off land communications among districts in Bengkulu and between the province and other provinces, including South Sumatra and Lampung.
Bengkulu Governor Rohidin Mersyah said on Saturday the floods hit almost all districts and cities in the province.
"I call on the rank and file of the district and city governments to act. The first thing to do is to rescue the affected people," he said
All rescue workers have been deployed to help the evacuation of the affected residents and minimize the impact of floods and landslides, particularly on vital roads, he said.
He added that heavy-duty equipment from the Public Works and Housing Office has also been sent to landslide sites. However, since its number is limited, he called upon plantation and mining companies in Bengkulu province to send heavy equipment to the affected areas.
Comment: Update: Al Jazeera on the 29th of April reports:
Floods sparked by torrential rains have killed 29 people in Indonesia with a dozen more still missing, officials said on Monday, marking the latest calamity for a disaster-prone nation.
Landslides and floods are common, especially during the monsoon season between October and April, when rains lash the vast Southeast Asian archipelago.
On Monday, Indonesia's disaster agency confirmed 29 deaths and said at least 13 more people were missing after days of pounding storms on the island of Sumatra.
Some 12,000 people have been evacuated from water-logged Bengkulu province with hundreds of buildings, bridges and roads damaged.
Hardest hit was Bengkulu Tengah district, just outside of the provincial capital, where 22 people were killed along with hundreds of livestock.
Authorities have set up temporary shelters and public kitchens for the evacuees.
Meanwhile, a landslide triggered by heavy rain in Sumatra's Lampung province on Saturday killed a family of six and disrupted transportation links to neighbouring regions.
Flooding in parts of the capital Jakarta during the week killed at least two people and forced more than 2,000 to evacuate their homes.
Comment: Update: Al Jazeera on the 29th of April reports: