In eastern Indonesia and East Timor, more than 150 people have died from mudslides and heavy rains caused by Hurricane Seroja.
Most of the deaths occurred on the island of Adonara. There, 67 bodies were recovered and an unknown number of people are still missing. Due to the heavy rainfall, mud has been pouring from the mountains since Sunday. Hundreds of houses have been destroyed as a result. Many people were overtaken in their sleep by the mudslides.
On the island of Lembata, large pieces of solidified lava came loose from the top of a volcano. The debris fell on a number of villages. At least 28 people were killed.
The death toll in Indonesia is now at 126. It concerns victims on various islands. In neighboring East Timor 27 people were killed.
Emergency aid
Help is slow to get going. The badly hit province of East Nusa Tenggara is made up of hundreds of islands that are sometimes only accessible by sea, but that journey is complicated by high waves. On land, bridges and roads are often also destroyed and the electricity no longer works.
Hurricane Seroja is expected to continue to be a nuisance in Southeast Asia until Friday. This weekend the hurricane is heading to western Australia.
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