Tragedy strikes South Sulawesi as landslides and floods claim 15 lives, says disaster agency

In this Friday, May 3, 2024, photo released by the Wajo Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD Wajo), rescuers carry people affected by a flood in Wajo, South Sulawesi, Indonesia. A flood and a landslide hit Indonesia's Sulawesi island, killing a number of people, officials said Saturday. - AP

JAKARTA (AFP): At least 15 people have died after landslides and flooding in central Indonesia swept away dozens of houses and damaged roads, the country's disaster agency said Saturday.

Indonesia is prone to landslides during the rainy season, with the problem aggravated in some places by deforestation, with prolonged torrential rain causing flooding in some areas of the archipelago nation.