Flood kills six people in West Sumatra

Flood kills six people in West Sumatra

JAKARTA (JP): Six people have been killed in flashfloods that attacked Solok regency, West Sumatra, on Tuesday.

Regent Nurmawan said the floods originated in overflowing rivers and tributaries that pass through the regency, Antara reported.

Dozens of houses were swept away by the flood and hundreds others were inundated. Many hectares of ricefields have also been affected by the flooding, which hit the regency on Tuesday.

Nurmawan said it was the worst flooding to hit the regency in 17 years.

The six people who died were all residents of Sako village in Muaro Labuah district, which has been the worst affected by the floods. The district is surrounded by the Batang Lembang, Batang Bangko and Batang Suliti rivers and their tributaries.

The rivers have overflowed because it has been pouring rain continuously in almost all parts of West Sumatra since January.

"Some of the winding tributaries are too small for the strong current," the regent said.

The regent town of Solok has also been affected by floods with water as high as three meters reported in some areas, according to Antara.

So far, however, no casualties have been reported, Solok Mayor Matsuddin Anang said.

Meanwhile, from Semarang, Central Java, Antara reported that floods have submerged hundreds of ricefields and there are fears that crops will be totally destroyed.

The Central Java administration said massive flooding had been reported in both the Pemalang and Jepara regencies. (emb)