Landslides kill three in western Indonesia

JAKARTA: At least three people were killed and two others went missing after landslides hit houses in west Indonesia’s North Sumatra province in the wee hours of Friday, local media reported.

Heavy rains have pounded the province’s Karo district in the past few days, triggering the deadly torrent.

Head of the Medan Search and Rescue Agency Toto Mulyono said on Friday that the three victims were found dead after being buried beneath mud and rocks.

“Rescuers are still searching for two more people buried by the landslides,” he told the local media.

At least four people have reportedly managed to survive the disaster.

The Meteorological, Climatology and Geophysics Agency on Thursday warned residents in the hydro meteorological disaster-prone areas of landslides and floods, as it has forecasted that the rainy season was expected to hit Indonesia in September this year.

Floods and landslides frequently occur in the archipelago during heavy rains. (Xinhua)