The bodies of all the victims were moved to Amanda Hospital in Berastagi, Karo, where seven of the injured students are also being treated. The remaining two injured students were sent to Efarina Hospital.

Read also: 19 killed, dozens missing in Sumatra floods

Karo Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) head Martin Sitepu said five of the seven deceased victims had been identified. They were Emelita Ginting, Mones, Emiya Tarigan, Sartika Teresia Pinem and Sindy Simamora. All were students of Prima Indonesia University (Unpri) in Medan. 

Martin said the 16 students were spending the night at the Daun Paris Raja Berneh hot springs resort when part of a cliff in the area collapsed at about 6 a.m. local time following heavy downpour in the region the night before.

“They did not have time to escape when the debris fell on the place where they were staying,” Martin told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.

Roy Ginting, a witness, said that when the landslide hit, the students were sleeping in a cottage in the resort located close to the cliff. They were there for a gathering involving senior and junior students of the university. It was their first night at the resort.

Meanwhile, in South Angkola district, South Tapanuli regency, two children were carried away by a flash flood on Thursday night and, as of Sunday, their bodies had not been found. The two are identified as Cindi, 11, and Hesta, 2. 

BPBD South Tapanuli head Umar Halomoan said a team comprising personnel from the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas), the BPBD and locals were searching for the two and had expanded the search area to a radius of 14 kilometers from the place where they went missing.

Umar said the flash flood also damaged a house, a worship house, an early education institution building and a utility pole. (evi)

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