Indonesia Landslide Follows Days of Rain
Torrential tropical rainclouds over western Indonesia on Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2011.
By Jim Andrews, Senior Meteorologist
Dec 1, 2011; 9:07 AM ET
At least five people have been killed with a further 30 missing in western Indonesia after a landslide crashed in a small village.
Striking Wednesday, the deadly slide buried at least 37 houses in the village on the island of Nias, off Sumatra, following three days of rain, according to multiple reports. The 30 missing people were from this village.
Another village was the site of the five deaths, according to AFP.
The slide reportedly followed three days of heavy rain. Weather observations from nearby western Sumatra, accessed by AccuWeather.com, showed torrential rain late last Sunday and again on Wednesday into Thursday.
Further downpours will be possible through at least Friday.
The combination of heavy yearly rainfall and steep slopes make this part of western Indonesia prone to landslides.
Nias Island is popular with surfers. Its shores were devastated by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Nias suffered a major loss in another great earthquake in the following year.
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