Flood victims killed in fire, thousands evacuated

Flood victims killed in fire, thousands evacuated

Andi Hajramurni and La Remy, The Jakarta Post, Makassar, South Sulawesi

While the nation enjoyed a peaceful Christmas on Thursday, two
flood victims in Maros regency, South Sulawesi, were killed in a
fire and more than 4,000 flood victims in Jambi, eastern Sumatra,
were evacuated.

The fire victims, Rahma, 10, and her sister Saina, died in a
fire that occurred at around 2 a.m. local time, while their
mother Daeng Lu'mu and her two other children suffered serious
burns.

Daeng had lit a candle because of a blackout ensuing from the
massive floods, which reached a maximum two meters deep.

Daeng, whose family runs a gasoline retail business,
accidentally dropped the candle into the floodwater mixed with
gasoline, which immediately caught on fire.

Most of the victims could not save themselves from their
burning wooden house, as they could not swim.

Meanwhile, the body of Rusli, a member of a search and rescue
team who went missing on Monday in Maros River, was recovered on
Thursday.

The floods that had swept through 11 of 14 districts in Maros
since Monday engulfed more than 3,000 houses, 2,700 hectares of
rice fields and 4,500 hectares of fishing and shrimp ponds.

It also damaged dozens of public infrastructure, such as
bridges and roads, closed about 30 kilometers of main
thoroughfares and inundated several public buildings and schools.

The massive floods also affected the neighboring areas of
Makassar mayoralty and Pangkep regency as the floodwaters flowed
into the areas.

Floods caused by heavy rainfall over three days also hit other
regencies in South Sulawesi, including Pinrang, Barru, Wajo and
Soppeng.

Antara reported on Thursday that more than 4,000 flood victims
from the overflowing Batanghari River in Tanjung Jabung Timur,
Jambi, were evacuated to safe shelters.

Even though authorities had advised them to seek refuge on
higher ground, many of the flood victims preferred to stay at
their flooded homes, as they feared that their belongings would
be stolen.

Many victims in the shelters reportedly suffered from various
ailments, including headaches and shock, from the natural
disaster.

The floodwater from the Batanghari, which reached over one
meter in height, engulfed more than 850 houses, 12 schools, 24
kilometers of road and 27 mosques, damaged 8,000 hectares of
farms and 1,600 fishing ponds. In addition, 9,000 chicken were
lost in the floods.

In Riau, floodwaters receded on Thursday, but the main highway
through eastern Sumatra remained closed.

The water level in worst-hit Pelalawan regency has declined to
between 30 centimeters and 80 centimeters.

Many experts have said that unchecked environmental
destruction, including damage due to illegal logging, was
believed to be the cause of various natural disasters that have
hit the area, including the recent massive floods.