Indonesian rescuers search through rivers and rubble after flash floods that killed at least 52

By KASPARMAN PILIANG
Associated Press

TANAH DATAR, Indonesia (AP) — Rescuers are searching in rivers and the rubble of devastated villages for bodies, and whenever possible survivors, of flash floods that hit Indonesia’s Sumatra Island over the weekend. Monsoon rains and a landslide of mud and cold lava from Mount Marapi caused rivers to breach their banks. The deluge tore through mountainside villages in four districts in West Sumatra province just before midnight Saturday. The National Disaster Management Agency said the floods swept away people and 79 homes and submerged hundreds of buildings, forcing more than 3,300 residents to flee to temporary shelters. Fifty two bodies had been pulled from mud and rivers by Tuesday, while rescuers are searching for 20 people who are reportedly missing.