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Eight killed after minibus swept by flash flood in North Sumatra
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The North Sumatra Police headquarters, located in the provincial capital of Medan, is seen in this undated handout photograph. (North Sumatra Police/File)
E
ight people have died, including three toddlers, after a minibus was swept away by a flash flood while crossing the Sipange River in South Tapanuli, North Sumatra, on Wednesday night.
The vehicle was carrying 14 passengers from Rokan Hulu, Riau who were traveling to celebrate Idul Fitri in South Tapanuli.
South Tapanuli Police chief Adj. Comr. Imam Zamroni said the vehicle was crossing the river in Sigolang village at around 7 p.m. when it was hit by the flash flood, which caused the engine to fail.
Six adults got out of the vehicle to prevent it from being swept away, but failed.
Cars are the most popular choice for holidaymakers this year, with around 27 million people preferring to use them to travel back to their hometowns.
With no health restrictions in place, the government expects some 123 million Indonesians to perform mudik (exodus) this year.
While the government has declared Idul Fitri to fall on Saturday, Muhammadiyah, the second-largest Muslim organization, is celebrating the end of Ramadan on Friday. (dre)
