15 killed and 50 missing after Bali landslide<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Fifteen people died when a landslide struck
\nTimbul village in Gianyar, Bali, on Thursday morning and rescue
\nworkers assisted by Pupuan hamlet residents were laboring to dig
\nout an estimated 50 people still buried under the mud.<\/p>\n
Antara reported that a waterlogged overhang collapsed while
\nresidents were making repairs to an irrigation canal damaged by
\ndays of incessant rain. Many of the workers were buried alive.<\/p>\n
\"I don't know how many people were buried under the landslide,
\nI am just thankful that I escaped,\" survivor I Made Waka said. He
\nsaid the disaster struck at around 8.30 a.m.<\/p>\n
Some reports estimated about 100 villagers were working on the
\nirrigation channel. Suara Pembaruan evening daily estimated
\naround 50 people were killed.<\/p>\n
The news agency said 12 people escaped, seven of whom required
\nmedical treatment at Sanglah Hospital in the provincial capital
\nof Denpasar and at a smaller hospital in Gianyar.<\/p>\n
The bodies of the 15 victims were laid out in the village hall
\nfor people to pay their last respects. The Gianyar administration
\nhas said it will pay the medical bills of survivors and the cost
\nof funerals for the dead.<\/p>\n
Early last year, experts began to issue warnings about the
\npossibility of abnormal rains and heavy flooding across many
\nprovinces as a result of the La Nina weather phenomenon. In
\nrecent weeks, reports of flooding and casualties have streamed
\nin, with eight deaths recorded in Bengkulu and a further seven in
\nUjungpandang, South Sulawesi.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the Gunungkidul regency in Yogyakarta,
\ntraditionally one of the driest spots in Java, was hit by floods
\nfollowing days of heavy rain. Two villages, Giriwungu in Panggang
\nsubdistrict and Pacareja in Semanu subdistrict, have been
\ninundated for the past week, Antara reported.<\/p>\n
Traffic connecting the area with Bantul regency was disrupted
\nby the flooding and dozens of hectares of crops were damaged.<\/p>\n
No casualties were reported.<\/p>\n
\"Gunungkidul is an area which always suffers from drought.
\nThis is the first year there's been a flood here for as far back
\nas I can remember,\" said a local resident named Suhardono.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, from Ujungpandang it was reported that three
\nbridges and a pond would be constructed to mitigate the effects
\nof further flooding.<\/p>\n
Antara quoted Haryanto Brodjo, who is in charge of flood
\ncontrol along the Jeneberang river, as saying the bridges would
\ncross the Pampang river -- long known as a flood hazard which
\nfrequently bursts its banks.<\/p>\n
Construction will commence in the 1999 dry season, he said.<\/p>\n
Experts warned that 13 of Indonesia's 27 provinces were
\nparticularly vulnerable to La Nina-induced flooding. The
\nprovinces were Lampung, Riau, South Sumatra, Bengkulu, West Java,
\nJakarta, Central Java, East Java, Yogyakarta, Bali, West Nusa
\nTenggara, South Kalimantan and Central Kalimantan.<\/p>\n
The government has admitted that established flood control
\nprojects cover less than 10 percent of areas thought to be
\nvulnerable to flooding. (swe)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/15-killed-and-50-missing-after-bali-landslide-1447893297",
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