A flash flood coupled with a landslide has hit the Dua Warna Waterfall resort in Sibolangit, North Sumatra, on Sunday evening, killing at least 15 vacationers, while another six people remain missing.

A joint search and rescue (SAR) team has not yet identified all the bodies, as they were naked when found.

The SAR team also has yet to remove all the bodies from where they were found, with the harsh terrain and long distances to the disaster command post impeding its efforts.

Deli Serdang Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD Deli Serdang) secretary Darwin Surbakti said seven of the bodies had so far been evacuated from the locations where they were found.

He added that the seven bodies, five male and two female, had been brought to the Bhayangkara police hospital in Medan.

Darwin said it had not been possible to move eight more bodies to the SAR post in Sibolangit as of 4:30 p.m. on Monday local time.

The joint SAR team encountered difficulty in retrieving the victims’ bodies due to the steeply sloping ground and remoteness of the area. It took two hours for the team to bring the first bodies to the post.

“So far, 15 victims have been found dead. They were found today in a number of spots along the river between Lau Betimus village and Tambun village, approximately 3 kilometers from the disaster site,” Darwin told The Jakarta Post at the Sibolangit disaster post.

According to BPBD Deli Serdang records, another six people are still missing, while the total number of flood victims at the resort is 78 people, which includes two tour guides.

Darwin said the joint SAR team had managed to rescue 57 people, while 21 others had gone missing. Of the missing, said Darwin, 15 had been found dead.

“Those who went missing were in the middle of the pool when the flash flood hit the waterfall, so they did not have time to save themselves, while the survivors were at the edge of the waterfall,” he said.

The last victim rescued was Mardang Harahap, who was found by rescue team members at 3 a.m. after nearly eight hours of hanging on a cliff.

Survivor Rocky Rhamadona said the flash flood occurred at around 2 p.m. during a drizzle at the Dua Warna Waterfall resort, while it was raining heavily upstream.

He added that before the flash flood, he had heard a series of loud sounds, like a landslide, from the upstream area beyond a hill.

“The first and second rumbles were not so hard, but the third was very loud. Then suddenly the flash flood arrived, carrying rocks and tree logs,” said Rocky, adding that he still felt traumatized when recalling the disaster.

Another survivor, Dani, also said that it was a traumatic experience. He said he had survived because he had managed to climb to the top of a hill as the flash flood hit the resort.

“Some of my friends were swept away with the flash flood and remain missing until now,” said Dani at the Sibolangit command post.

Hundreds of people and volunteers from the police, SAR, BPBD Deli Serdang and the local community have been mobilized to search for the missing.

Pancur Batu District Police chief Comr. Frido Gultom, who was involved in the evacuation process, said the search for the missing victims would continue over the next few days.

Frido said he hoped those missing were still alive.
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