Rescuers scour rivers and rubble as floods recede in Bali and East Nusa Tenggara

Indonesian rescuers searched rivers, mountainside hamlets and the rubble of devastated villages on Thursday for survivors of flash floods that struck Bali and East Nusa Tenggara this week, officials said, as waters began to recede and crews moved to clear mud and restore services.

Torrential rains that began Monday caused rivers to burst their banks and triggered landslides that killed at least 15 people and left 10 missing, authorities reported. The floods swept through nine cities and districts on the tourist island of Bali and inundated communities in the neighboring province of East Nusa Tenggara, submerging at least 112 neighborhoods and tearing away homes and small businesses.

As river levels returned to near-normal on Thursday, residents began leaving crowded emergency shelters in Denpasar, Bali's capital, and returning to streets covered in mud and debris. Photographs and household items littered sidewalks, cars were found overturned or jammed in alleys and parks, and piles of wet refuse blocked thoroughfares, officials said. Electricity service was restored to tens of thousands of homes and businesses as municipal crews cleared roads.

National Disaster Mitigation Agency chief Suharyanto said the immediate threat of flooding in Bali had subsided, and authorities had deployed as many as 600 rescue workers, police and soldiers to search for six people still unaccounted for on the island. The agency reported that the overnight flooding had swept away about 474 kiosks and small shophouses in markets and killed at least six Bali residents, forcing more than 800 people into temporary government shelters.

In East Nusa Tenggara province, rescue teams concentrated on the remote village of Mauponggo, where mud, trees and boulders swept down from hillsides. Local police chief Dewa Putu Suariawan said rescuers were focused on finding four people, including two toddlers, who were reported missing after floods destroyed 35 houses. Six villagers were pulled from floodwaters or mud on Wednesday, he added.

Local Disaster Mitigation Agency head Agustinus Pone said the severe weather and rugged terrain had hampered search-and-rescue operations and that flash flooding had knocked out electricity, clean water and telecommunications in 18 villages. The floods and landslides also destroyed two bridges and two government offices, damaged plantations and rice fields and killed livestock, further exacerbating needs in affected communities.

Officials have so far concentrated on life-saving operations and initial recovery work, clearing roads and removing mud and debris to restore access to isolated areas. Volunteers and municipal workers collected wet garbage and damaged personal effects from homes and businesses, while emergency teams assessed damaged infrastructure and prioritized repairs.

Indonesia routinely faces a seasonal monsoon cycle that brings heavy rain from about September to March, causing repeated episodes of flooding and landslides in vulnerable coastal and mountainous areas. Emergency management officials maintain heightened preparedness during the season and have called on residents in low-lying and landslide-prone areas to remain vigilant when heavy rains arise.

Authorities have not yet provided a full nationwide damage assessment. Relief officials said they would continue search operations until all missing people are located, and they planned to expand recovery assistance, including temporary shelter, water and sanitation support, and infrastructure repairs, as conditions allow.