Over the weekend, Indonesia's Sumatra Island was hit by a tragic natural disaster as monsoon rains triggered flash floods and landslides, claiming the lives of 41 individuals with 17 still missing. The catastrophe unfolded when heavy rains, combined with a landslide of mud and cold lava from Mount Marapi, caused a river to overflow, inundating mountainside villages across four districts in West Sumatra province.
The deluge, which struck just before midnight on Saturday, swept away people, submerged nearly 200 houses and buildings, and left a trail of destruction in its wake. Cold lava, also known as lahar, a mixture of volcanic material and pebbles, added to the devastation as it flowed down the volcano's slopes due to the intense rainfall.
