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)