Landslide Tragedy in Sumatra: Rescues Continue Amid Devastation

In Indonesia's Sumatra island, a landslide, worsened by torrential rains, claimed the lives of nine people on a tourist bus. Around 20 others died in similar disasters in the region this week. Search and rescue efforts continue as authorities strive to evacuate trapped individuals and vehicles.

In a grim revelation, two more bodies were recovered from a tourist bus partially buried by a landslide in Indonesia's Sumatra, raising the death toll to nine, officials reported. Torrential rains have wreaked havoc, affecting the region with fatal landslides and floods.

Rescue operations were focused on the bus, which was engulfed by debris on the Medan to Berastagi road, an essential route in North Sumatra. At least 20 people have perished in similar events across the region, with the chaos causing numerous vehicles to be stranded, complicating rescue efforts.

Muji Ediyanto from the North Sumatra Regional Police highlighted the challenges faced by rescue and evacuation teams, with debris from the landslides trapping many vehicles and fallen trees exacerbating the situation. Seasonal rains in the archipelagic nation pose a perennial risk of such natural disasters.

(With inputs from agencies.)