Floods inundate Palu

PALU, Central Sulawesi: The Palu river overflowed after heavy rains Sunday, inundating thousands of houses and causing traffic jams in the city, Antara reported yesterday.

Floods were as deep as three meters in some areas, including the South Palu subdistrict, said commander of the Donggala military district Lt. Col. FX Murdiyanto.

Small rivers around the city also overflowed into rice fields, he said.

A provincial administration spokesperson said the heavy rains in Central Sulawesi also caused landslides, hampering the flow of traffic on the trans-Sulawesi highway in the Tawaeli-Toboli sector.

No casualties have been reported in the floods, the biggest to hit the capital city in the past 20 years, the spokesman said.