In the aftermath of floods and landslides caused by a cyclone that struck Indonesia’s Sumatra island, Abdul Ghani has been carrying a photograph of his missing wife, showing it to everyone he encounters.
The 57-year-old, who earns his living selling soft drinks, has spent days navigating the muddy streets of his hometown, Palembayan, searching for Marsoni, his spouse of 25 years.
Since the passing of their only child seven years ago, Marsoni has been his sole companion, and his hopes of finding her are diminishing.
“Is she still alive? I don’t believe she is,” Ghani shared. “But I wish they would at least find a part of her, even if it’s just a fragment of her hand.”
Abdul Ghani, 57, holds a photo of his wife Marsoni while searching for her on Tuesday in Palembayan, Indonesia. (Willy Kurniawan/Reuters)
On Friday afternoon, while Ghani was at work, the rain intensified. By the time he reached his home near the river, he learned that six houses, including his, had been swept away.
His first thought was of his wife. Since that day, he has been carrying a large image of her, showing it to passersby and rescue teams sifting through the rubble of collapsed structures, where voices are drowned out by the roar of excavators.
“When I returned home from work … it was like a river everywhere,” he recounted. “Everything had been leveled. I felt devastated.”
As of Tuesday, the calamity has claimed the lives of 686 individuals in Indonesia, with 476 still unaccounted for. Over one million people have been evacuated.
This drone footage captures the devastation caused by floods and landslides on Indonesia’s Sumatra island. Over 28,000 homes have been impacted in the nation, with 1.5 million people affected, as reported by Indonesia’s disaster management agency.
The destruction in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand follows a series of severe weather events in Southeast Asia over recent months, including typhoons that have struck the Philippines and Vietnam, resulting in frequent and extended flooding in other areas.
With tears in his eyes, Ghani expressed his desire for his wife to receive a dignified burial.
“I had a wife, and we cherished each other,” he stated. “Now, I have no house and no wife. What is my next step?”