Flood kills 8, injures 13

Flood kills 8, injures 13

JAKARTA (JP): Eight people died and 13 were injured when a
flash flood hit a gold mining area in Bengkulu province, on the
western island of Sumatra, Antara reported Friday.

Villagers of Ketenong Satu discovered the bodies of seven gold
panners and one of their children on Wednesday and the body of
of another small child the next day beside a swollen river, the
news agency reported.

The local administrative chief, Muslihan, said the flash flood
followed a landslide in the province's Kerinci Seblat National
Park. The landslide covered about two hectares of the park.

Equipment including a diesel-powered gold sifter were washed
away in the flood. Total damages have yet to be estimated.

The province's deputy governor and the local administrator
visited the site and offered food aid to the surviving families.

Separately, residents in the East Kalimantan provincial
capital of Samarinda fought floods on New Year's Eve, fearful
there would be a repetition of last August's devastating
inundation when levels reached two meters.

On Thursday, Antara quoted the head of the Environmental
Impact Management Agency, Awang Farouk Ishak, as saying the
administration urgently needed a flood control office because
water had reached 1.5 meters in some areas.

He said heavier rains could cause the Karangmumus River to
overflow, and Benanga Dam, located 15 kilometers to the north of
Samarinda, to burst.

Awang believes the development of Samarinda, in which water
catchment areas were converted into business and residential
sites, contributed significantly to the floods.

Road construction was not followed by drainage widening, he
said.

In August, four died and 50,000 were forced to evacuate their
homes when Benanga Dam in Lempake village burst.