Flash floods and cold lava flow hit Indonesia’s Sumatra island. At least 37 people were killed

By KASPARMAN PILIANG
Associated Press

PADANG, Indonesia (AP) — Heavy rains and torrents of cold lava and mud flowing down a volcano’s slopes on Indonesia’s Sumatra island have triggered flash floods. Official said Sunday that at least 37 people were dead and more than a dozen others were missing. Monsoon rains and a major mudslide from a cold lava flow on Mount Marapi caused a river to breach its banks and tear through mountainside villages in Agam and Tanah Datar districts in West Sumatra province just before midnight on Saturday. The floods swept away people and submerged more than 100 houses and buildings. Cold lava is also known as lahar. It’s a mixture of volcanic material and pebbles that flow down a volcano’s slopes in the rain.