A man is desperately trying to find his wife after a flood swept her away in Indonesia. She went missing after devastating floods hit the country.
Speaking with Reuters, 57-year-old Abdul Ghani says that he is looking everywhere for his wife, Marsoni. The couple had been married for more than 25 years. It's been days since Ghani started his search. But so far, he's found no sign of his wife. Severe storms and rains in the region caused a flood in Ghani's town of Palembayan.
Throughout his search, he's carried a photo of her to try to keep his hope alive. But with each passing day, that hope dims more and more. Ghani isn't sure his search will have a happy ending, but he wants closure.
"Is she alive? I don't think she is," he said. "But I hope they find her body, even if it's just a piece of her hand."
Swept Away In Flood
On November 28, he had been at work. That's when neighbors told him that his entire home had been swept away in the flood. His home was one of six lost in the town due to the flood. Returning home, he found only a flood where his house once stood. He said, "Everywhere was like a river."
"I had a wife, we loved each other," he said. He isn't sure what he's going to do with his life now. "Where do I go next?"
"Deforestation and unchecked development have stripped Batang Toru of its resilience," Purba said. "Without urgent restoration and stricter protections, these floods will become the new normal."
