Floods and landslides claim five lives in South Sulawesi

Jupriadi, The Jakarta Post, Makassar

At least five people died as flooding and landslides, as a result of heavy rains since Thursday, swept away houses in Wajo regency, South Sulawesi, local officials said on Saturday.

The floods also forced more than 3,000 families to flee to safer areas. There were also reports of widespread damage to at least 1,200 hectares of crops, which were ready for harvest.

The trans-Sulawesi highway connecting Wajo with the neighboring towns of Bone, Sidrap and Soppeng was completely cut off.

The dead victims included Wagiran, 56, and his 75-year old mother, who were killed in a landslide that hit Tempe subdistrict.

The other dead were Sudirman and Amiruddin from Belawa subdistrict, and an unidentified resident from the subdistrict of Pitumpanua. All were swept away and drowned in the floodwaters.

The floods have submerged 14 subdistricts across the town, some 400 kilometers from the South Sulawesi capital of Makassar.

The water had yet to recede as of Saturday evening, and was between one and five meters high in at least nine of the affected areas.

Djamaluddin Santo, secretary of the Wajo administration, said the floods started to hit his town on Thursday and just kept on rising through to Saturday. "It is the worst disaster in Wajo's history," he told The Jakarta Post.

The nine worst affected areas were the subdistricts of Tempe, Tana Sitolo, Belawa, Pammana, Sabbamparu, Maneang Pajo, Maja Uleng, Sajoaingin and Pitumpanua.

Santo said the flooding was triggered by torrential rains over the last three days, which caused several rivers and Tempe Lake to overflow their banks.

He said the local authorities were also getting reports of numerous landslides in several subdistricts.

"We are still verifying the reports. But regardless, this disaster has shocked us all," he added.

Santo said vehicle traffic in the affected areas on the north- south highway was totally crippled due to the flooding.

Thousands of the displaced people were being accommodated at state buildings, schools and places of worship as well as houses in locations unaffected by the floods.

"Around 60 percent of the refugees are staying in private homes, while the remaining 40 percent are housed in places of worship and state offices," Santo said.

Search and rescue workers, including those from the Navy and the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI), have been deployed to assist locals.

Aside from Wajo, other regencies in Sulawesi, including Soppeng and Sinjai, were also hit by the floods.

Meanwhile in the Southeast Sulawesi capital of Kendari, at least one person was reportedly killed after drowning in floodwaters in Lainea subdistrict, and another local resident was reported missing.

At least 75 families comprising around 800 people from Baruga subdistrict also had to flee the flooding in their villages.

Baruga subdistrict head Rivai Lamuse was quoted by Antara as saying on Saturday that the floods followed heavy rains since Thursday, which caused the Konoweha and Lahumbuti rivers to burst their banks.

Flooding hit at least 58 villages in eight subdistricts of Kendari, with floodwaters up to two meters high in places.