3,000 flee as flood hits W. Sumatra

PAINAN, West Sumatra: Flooding, following two days of heavy rains, plagued the West Sumatra town of Painan on Friday, inundating around 500 houses.

No casualties were reported, but more than 3,000 victims fled to nearby safer areas as floodwaters in Painan, some 76 kilometers south of the provincial capital, Padang, lay at a depth of one meter to two meters.

The two-day heavy rains in several parts of West Sumatra since Thursday caused the Batang Painan river to overflow, causing villagers to panic.

The flood paralyzed traffic on the Padang-Painan route due to a landslide at the Selayang Pandang mountain area.

Nasrul Abit, deputy head of Pesisir Selatan regency, said all residents at the affected villages were facing shortages of clean water, clothes and food. --JP