JAKARTA, Oct. 14 (Xinhua) -- Rescuers have saved scors of persons while workers remained striving to reopen blocked-roads isolating several spots after flash floods and landslides struck off the provinces of North Sumatra and West Sumatra, which left 22 people dead, officials said on Sunday.
The deadly natural disasters striking from Thursday to Friday have blocked access to several villages and buried roads linking the two provinces, hampering emergency relief efforts.
A total of 15 persons were reported missing, 10 of them were in Mandailing Natal district of North Sumatra province and the rest in West Sumatra province, according to the national disaster management agency.
"All the missing persons have been rescued alive," head of disaster agency in North Sumatra province Riadil Lubis told Xinhua via phone from the province.
For now, the workers are struggling to reopen a main road connecting the two provinces after they cleared access on eleven spots, he said.
The disasters killed 17 persons in North Sumatra province and all of the corpses have already undergone funerals, Lubis said.
The flash flood destroyed and swept away 20 houses, forcing dozens of people to flee home.
Separately, in West Sumatra province, as many as five persons have been rescued in Tanah Datar and Pariaman districts, an official in charge of the national disaster management agency told Xinhua via phone.
Heavy downpours were blamed for the disaster taking place in the districts of Mandailing Natal and Sibolga of Norfth Sumatra province and the districts of Tanah Datar, Pasaman and Pariaman of West Sumatra province.
A total of 48 houses were destroyed by disasters in both provinces, the agency said.
Indonesia is frequently hit by floods, landslides and flash floods during heavy rains.
