Landslides kill four people in Bogor regency

BOGOR (JP): Landslides caused by four hours of heavy rain left a woman, her daughter and two nephews dead late on Thursday night in Cijeruk district, Bogor regency.

The victims, Piah, 40, her seven-year-old girl Nana and her two nephews, Herdi, 12, and Ade, 9, were residents of Tajur hamlet, Tajur Halang village.

The landslides occurred at about 8:30 p.m., after most of the residents of the hamlet had gone to bed, Piah's husband, Enjam, said.

Enjam said he woke up when he heard a roaring sound behind his house. He looked out and discovered that part of his home had been destroyed by a landslide.

"My son Rohendi and I managed to flee. But my wife, my daughter and my nephews were unable to get out of the house in time. They were all buried alive beneath the ruined house," he said.

Separately in the village of Cipayung Girang, the heavy rains caused the Cinangka Dam to overflow. Dozens of houses near the dam were inundated.

"I was so scared to see the water running fast in front of me and when I looked back, I saw my kitchen had been damaged by the water," a resident of Panaragan, Masaroh, said.

In Jakarta, several hours of heavy rain on Friday afternoon left parts of some roads underwater and traffic jams throughout the city.

The Meteorological and Geophysics Agency announced that between late May and June unusual weather activities were expected, with heavy rain, thunder and lightning, and strong winds, particularly in West Java and southern parts of Sumatra.

The agency spokesman, Waan Tarmin, said in a statement the unusual weather activities were being caused by the interaction of low-pressure fronts from the southern and northern hemispheres. (21)