2 Padang Residents Died Dragged By River Currents

Spokesperson for the Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) of West Sumatra Province (West Sumatra) Ilham Wahab confirmed that three residents in Padang City were dragged by the river current, two of whom died.

"Yes, it is true that two residents died after being dragged by the swift current of the river in Koto Tangah District," said West Sumatra Province BPBD spokesman Ilham Wahab as reported by ANTARA, Tuesday, December 24.

Ilham explained that the three victims were a housewife named Riski Santi and her two children, each aged one year and eight months and five years.

The first and second victims were found by search officers about 500 and 200 meters from the scene. Meanwhile, the victim's mother was found unconscious and immediately rushed to Dr M. Djamil Padang Hospital for medical treatment.

Ilham said that during the last few days the West Sumatra region had been raining with a fairly high intensity. In addition, strong winds to landslides have also hit several areas such as what happened in Agam Regency.

Given the potential for extreme weather which is expected to continue for the next few days, the West Sumatra Provincial BPBD together with district and city BPBD have prepared a number of mitigation steps, including alerting personnel and equipment.

"In addition, we are also alerting officers and heavy equipment in collaboration with the Public Works Department, especially at disaster-prone points," he said.