At least 12 people are missing after heavy rain triggers a landslide and flash floods in Indonesia
Medan (Indonesia) (AP): Torrential rain triggered flash floods and a landslide on Indonesia's Sumatra island, leaving at least 12 people missing, officials said Saturday.
Tons of mud, rocks and trees rolled down from a mountain late Friday, reaching a river that burst its banks and tore through mountainside villages, said Budiono, who heads the local search and rescue agency.
Worst hit was Simangulampe, a village near the popular Lake Toba in North Sumatra province, where several people buried under tons of mud and houses were damaged, said Budiono, who goes by a single name like many Indonesians.
He said relief efforts were hampered by blocked roads covered with thick mud, debris and giant rocks, and rescuers were still searching for the 12 missing people Saturday.
National Disaster Management Agency spokesperson Abdul Muhari said a villager was rushed to a nearby hospital with serious injuries after the landslide hit his house. He said at least 12 houses, a church, a school and a hotel were damaged by the disaster, forcing about 50 families in the village to flee to a temporary government shelter.
Photos released by the agency showed damaged homes, along with a church, a school and a hotel covered by tons of rocks.
Authorities were still collecting information about damage and possible casualties, Muhari said.
Seasonal rain from about October to March frequently causes flooding and landslides in Indonesia, an archipelago of 17,000 islands where millions of people live in mountainous areas or near fertile flood plains.
The 1,145-square-kilometre Lake Toba, formed out of an ancient super volcano, is a popular sightseeing destination on the island of Sumatra and one of 10 stunning natural attractions in Indonesia that the government aims to develop as magnets for international tourists.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
4 held for sexually assaulting woman, girl on moving bus after social media alert in UP's Agra
Agra (UP) (PTI): Four people were arrested, after a prompt response by police following a social media alert, for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman and a girl inside a moving bus here, officials said on Tuesday.
According to an official police statement, at 12:27 am on April 27, information was received on the social media platform X about an incident of sexual assault on a bus travelling from Kanpur to Ahmedabad, which was approaching Namner crossing in Agra.
Acting under the direction of Police Commissioner Deepak Kumar, the Agra Police social media team immediately alerted the Rakabganj police station within minutes and coordinated with the victims to confirm the incident and obtain the exact location, it stated.
Police teams launched intensive checking at Namner crossing and intercepted the bus as it reached the spot. The four accused involved in the incident were apprehended on the spot, and legal action was initiated against them, the statement said.
The police said the swift response and coordination between the social media team and field units ensured timely action, bringing relief to the victims and other passengers, who expressed gratitude towards the police, it added.
