No end to floods as rain continues

No end to floods as rain continues

Several districts in Cilacap regency remained flooded on
Wednesday as a relentless rain pounded the area for the fifth
straight day, with only short breaks in the clouds.

Majenang remained the most badly affected of the six districts
in Cilacap, with the water level remaining well above one meter.

Cilacap Police chief Supt. Bambang Sudarisman told The Jakarta
Post over the telephone at least 22 villages were still
inundated.

He said most of the villagers, about 15,000 people, had been
evacuated to higher ground.

The conditions also slowed efforts to unearth many of those
buried in Sunday's landslides.

Bambang said the bodies of nine of the 15 people who died in
landslides in Cimanggu district had not yet been recovered,
because the work of rescue workers was hampered by the weather.

"We had to stop our work at about 2 p.m. (on Wednesday)
because of heavy rain. Maybe recovery attempts will continue
after the rain stops," Bambang said.

A total of 32 people died in landslides in several locations
in Cilacap and Banyumas regencies on Sunday night.(45)