Landslides and flash floods in North Sumatra kill at least 10, leave six missing

Torrential monsoon rains over the past week unleashed flash floods and triggered landslides on Indonesia’s Sumatra island, killing at least 10 people and leaving six others missing, police said on Wednesday. Rescue teams were struggling to reach affected areas in six regencies of North Sumatra province after rivers burst their banks, tearing through hilly villages as mud, rocks, and trees tumbled down. 

In the city of Sibolga, rescue workers had recovered at least five bodies and three injured people by Wednesday and were searching for four villagers reported missing, according to the National Police. The authorities said six landslides in the hilly city flattened 17 houses and a café, and emergency shelters were set up while residents in high-risk zones were urged to evacuate immediately due to the possibility of more landslides if heavy rain continues. Sibolga police chief Eddy Inganta said bad weather and mudslides hampered rescue operations and access remained limited. 

In Central Tapanuli district, landslides struck several homes and killed at least a family of four, while floods submerged nearly 2,000 houses and buildings. Floods and landslides also uprooted trees that killed a villager and injured another in South Tapanuli district, destroyed a bridge in Mandailing Natal district, and submerged 470 houses. On Nias island, a main road was blocked by mud and debris, further complicating response efforts. 

The disasters on Sumatra occurred on the same day Indonesia’s National Disaster Mitigation Agency declared the official end of relief efforts in two districts of Java after 10 days of operations for earlier landslides triggered by torrential rains. Those landslides left 38 people dead in Central Java’s districts of Cilacap and Banjarnegara, with at least two people in Cilacap and 11 in Banjarnegara still unaccounted for when the search was halted because of unstable ground, bad weather, and safety risks to rescue teams and residents. 

The massive flood swept away people’s homes in Sibolga City, North Sumatra, Indonesia today. pic.twitter.com/rYze8KNGwn

— Weather Monitor (@WeatherMonitors) November 25, 2025

💔 Heart-breaking scenes in North Sumatra, Indonesia today, after a house was hit by a landslide.

A mother and child didn’t survive.

📍 Parombunan, Sibolga City pic.twitter.com/SrSqcLVJFR

— Volcaholic 🌋 (@volcaholic1) November 25, 2025