Cloud seeding: Indonesia tries to redirect rain after deadly floods

Tanah Datar, Indonesia: Indonesian authorities have sown clouds, trying to prevent more rain and flash flooding after deluges that hit the island of Sumatra over the weekend left at least 67 people dead and 20 others missing.

Monsoon rains caused a landslide of mud and cold lava from Mount Marapi, eventually causing rivers to overflow. The deluge devastated mountain villages in four districts of West Sumatra province shortly before midnight on Saturday.

The floods swept away people and dozens of homes and submerged hundreds of houses and buildings, forcing more than 1,500 families to flee to temporary government shelters, according to National Disaster Management Agency spokesman Abdul Muhari.

He said 67 bodies had been pulled from the mud and rivers as of Wednesday, mostly in the worst-affected districts of Agam and Tanah Datar, while rescuers were searching for 20 people reported missing. About 44 villagers were injured.