Landslides, flooding kill at least five in S. Sulawesi

Jupriadi, The Jakarta Post, Makassar

A series of landslides and severe flooding killed at least five people and forced hundreds of residents to flee their homes in the South Sulawesi district of Gowa, residents said on Wednesday.

The flood and landslides were triggered by two days of heavy rain, which began on Tuesday, causing Jeneberang River to overflow.

All the five dead victims were found buried in the mud on Tuesday and Wednesday morning.

Unofficial reports said the death toll was six.

Four of the bodies came from one family comprising a mother, her husband and their two children, who lived in the village of Jonjo in Parangloe subdistrict, while another one was a 70-year- old farmer, Parang bin Rimung, from the village of Manuju in Tinggi Moncong subdistrict.

At least three cattle and six goats were drowned by the overflowing Jeneberang river. The flooding and landslides also left six houses destroyed and caused two bridges to collapse.

Floodwaters were 1.5 meters high at Tamarunang village in Somba Opu subdistrict near the river on Tuesday. Water swept through at least 100 houses there. Water levels gradually subsided on Wednesday.

Local residents said the landslides and floods caused a traffic jam leading to and from South Sulawesi as waters reached the 0.5 meter level. Hundreds of houses and farmland was also submerged in Gowa.

A 53-year old resident, Bella, said the flooding was the worst to hit Gowa for the last 10 years, adding that previous floods had never claimed any lives.

"The current floods and landslides are the largest ever as several people are dead," he told The Jakarta Post.

Further landslides would take place should the rain continue unabated, Bella added.

The floods, caused by heavy downpours, began to spread to the capital of South Sulawesi, Makassar, where floodwaters reached one meter high in several housing complexes like Antang, Tallo, Perintis Kemerdekaan, Pattarani and Cendrawasih.

Main streets such as Jl. Urip Sumohardjo, Pattarani, Veteran, Galangan Kapan and Perintis Kemerdekaan were also affected by the floods, causing heavy traffic jams.

There were no reports of casualties in the floods in Makassar, where hundreds of people also fled to take shelter at relatives' houses located in safer areas.

Mayor of Makassar HB Amiruddin Maula ordered a full alert to prevent bigger floods. "I have suggested city residents to be fully alert against any worse flooding."

The administration is ready to evacuate victims if the floods continue, he added.

On Saturday, floods in North Sumatra killed at least four people and left 10 others missing and forced thousands of residents in the province's capital, Medan, to seek refuge after their homes were flooded.

The city's Polonia International Airport was temporarily closed and at least 60 incoming and outgoing flights were delayed, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded. The airport reopened on Sunday.