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View all search resultsDebris, lack of equipment slow search for missing Sumatra flood victims
Following the end of the official emergency period on Dec. 21, a proposed extension to search operations in South Tapanuli is awaiting a green light from the regency administration, while the search for 72 people missing in North Sumatra is continuing after authorities granted an extension.
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A man walks through the frame of a gutted house in Buntul Kemumu village on Dec. 13, 2025, following severe flooding and landslides in Bener Meriah regency, Aceh, one of three northern Sumatra provinces affected when Tropical Cyclone Senyar made landfall in the region on Nov. 26, along with North Sumatra and West Sumatra. (Antara/Syifa Yulinnas)
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escuers are battling mountains of debris in a race against time to find people who are still missing 26 days after a tropical cyclone made landfall in northern Sumatra, triggering flash floods and landslides that tore through the provinces of Aceh, North Sumatra and West Sumatra.
The Medan office of the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) said many affected areas were still choked with debris left by the disaster.
“There are still many locations that our teams cannot access because of deep mud and piles of wood and large rocks,” Basarnas Medan spokesman Sariman Sitorus told The Jakarta Post on Monday.
Sariman also explained that due to the limited availability of heavy equipment, wide swaths of the affected areas were uncleared, particularly in Batang Toru district, South Tapanuli regency, one of the hardest-hit regions.
An extension to local search and rescue (SAR) operations was currently pending a decision from the South Tapanuli administration, he added, noting that the official search period ended on Sunday, even though several people remained unaccounted for.
Sri Wahyuni Pancasilawati, head of emergency response, equipment and logistics at the North Sumatra Disaster and Mitigation Agency, acknowledged that the sheer volume of debris had severely hampered rescue efforts.
“Clearing the material will take time,” she said, adding that North Sumatra authorities had extended the emergency period so the search for the missing could continue.
