Death toll from Banten landslide, flood rises to 100

Death toll from Banten landslide, flood rises to 100

SERANG, Banten (JP): The death toll of landslides and flooding
following torrential rains which hit four regencies in Banten
province in the past three days has risen to 100, officials said
on Monday.

"Up to present we have recorded 100 deaths, including 94
locals from Lebak regency and six other bodies from Pandeglang
regency," secretary-general of the National Board of Social
Welfare (BKSN) Ferry Johannes told The Jakarta Post on Monday.

Some 30 others were also injured in the mishap.

The 94 fatalities were from Lebak's four districts of Cipanas,
Muncang, Sajira and Rangkasbitung which were hit by floods and
landslides, while the other six were recovered from several
villages in Pandeglang.

"Most victims in Cipanas district, some 60 kilometers east of
Jakarta, were gold miners trapped in ravines when mudslides
occurred," Ferry said.

The losses due to these natural disasters are estimated to
have reached Rp 93.4 billion (US$9.8 million), the official
added.

"The four disaster-hit regencies are home to 142,881 residents
or 36,737 families living in 209 villages in 49 districts," he
said.

The floods took place in 11 districts in Lebak, 12 districts
in Serang, 10 districts in Pandeglang and six districts in
Tangerang, he said, adding that the water level in the areas
reached three to four meters deep.

Landslides also hit Lebak as a result of the floods.

Ferry was among the entourage of Minister of Health and Social
Welfare Achmad Sujudi and the Minister of Home Affairs and
Regional Autonomy Surjadi Soedirdja and Junior Minister for
Forestry Nurmahmudi Ismail who visited the site of the disaster
on Monday.

Local administrations have ordered residents in landslide-
prone areas to move to safer ground.

"The landslides so far have only taken place in Lebak, but
other regencies are also prone to mudslides," Minister Sujudi
said, adding that the victims will be given enough food and
medicine supplies.

"We are now calculating and listing the victims in a bid to
give accurate data and provide further aid. BKSN, however, also
provides rubber boats and several walkie-talkies for rescue and
social workers," Sujudi said.

The calamities in Banten have destroyed 2,514 houses while
24,731 buildings suffered minor damage. Communication was also
cut off in several areas here.

West Java, including Jakarta, has been lashed by torrential
rains in the past week.

On Monday's visit, Minister Achmad Sujudi donated medicine
supplies and rice plus a total of Rp 200 million cash while
Ministry of Home Affairs, which has just officiated the new
Banten province, handed over a Rp 150 million cash donation.

The junior Ministry of Forestry also donated Rp 50 million
while BKSN in its first phase donated Rp 300 million plus 200
tons of rice for the victims.

Disasters also hit several provinces. On the Lombok islands of
West Nusa Tenggara, three days of constant rain and strong
"twister" winds have uprooted dozens of trees since Saturday,
forcing no less than 172 waterborne vehicles to become stranded
in Lembar Port, Antara reported.

Many tourists have had to call off their plans and wait for
better climate conditions while resting on ships.

A typhoon also destroyed dozens of houses and buildings in
Bandarlampung capital of Lampung, South Lampung and West Lampung,
killing two locals and leaving several others injured during the
weekend.

"More than 100 trees tumbled down and roof tops flew off due
to the strong wind," a local was quoted by the news agency,
adding that the victims in the calamities were mostly injured by
falling objects.

Falling trees and sign boards also reportedly took place in
Bandung, capital of West Java due to strong winds and heavy
downpours of rain.

In Bojonegoro, East Java, three consecutive days of heavy rain
caused the Bengawan Solo river to overflow its banks leading to
the inundation of no less than 20,000 houses and thousands of
hectares of paddy fields in 130 villages spread over 11
districts, an official said on Monday.

In Bali, the strong winds that have been prevailing since
Saturday took the roofs of houses and uprooted dozens of trees
leading to blocked roads in four areas of Bali's capital Denpasar
and in the regencies of Karangasem, Gianyar and Badung.

The wet season, which normally causes bouts of flooding across
Indonesia, is due to finish around April in Java, home to more
than half the country's 210 million people. (edt)