Helicopters were deployed to help the search for survivors among 72 people missing so far in the East Nusa Tenggara Islands, where tropical cyclone Seroja has caused strong winds and heavy rains that have caused flash floods and landslides.
An amateur video taken by a local official in Tanjung Batu village on the island of Lembata, where Mount Ile Lewotolok volcano is located, showed felled trees and large rocks of cold lava that crushed houses after being removed by the cyclone is.
Authorities said the death toll could rise as rescuers reach more isolated areas. On the statues from the region, sawn-off trees, turbulent seas and wooden houses were flattened on Monday by the storm and debris floating in muddy floodwaters.
At least 8244 people have been displaced, nearly 2,000 buildings, including a hospital, have been hit, and more than 100 homes have been severely damaged by the cyclone, which crossed the Indian Ocean on Tuesday morning and is on its way to Northern Australia.
Weather agency chief Dwikorita Karnawati said that once rare tropical cyclones occurred more frequently in Indonesia and that climate change could be blamed.
“Seroja is the first time we’re seeing a huge impact because it’s hitting the country. It’s not common,” she told a news conference.
In the nearby province of West Nusa Tenggara, authorities on Monday said two people were killed, while at least 27 were killed in neighboring East Timor.
Some inhabitants of the island of Lembata may have been washed away by mud in the sea. The deputy district chief hoped help was on the way.
“We could only search on the beach, not in the deeper area, due to lack of equipment yesterday,” Thomas Ola Langoday told Reuters by telephone.
Lembata last month had a volcanic eruption that wiped out vegetation on top of the mountain, causing hardened lava to slide in the direction of 300 homes when the cyclone struck.
Langoday was afraid that many bodies were still buried under large rocks.
President Joko Widodo held a cabinet meeting on Tuesday to expedite the evacuation and relief effort and the restoration of power.
“If we cannot get there by road, I ask that we open the access quickly by sea as well as by air,” the president said, adding that extreme weather had hampered the spread of aid.
Search and rescue agent Doni Monardo said Tuesday that the military and volunteers were on their way.
Monardo said there were concerns about the health of evacuation centers becoming overcrowded and that authorities would provide rapid COVID-19 test kits to try to prevent an outbreak.