Three more killed as flooding spreads

Three more killed as flooding spreads

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Flash floods have swept over parts of Sumatra, Java and
Kalimantan, killing at least three people in Bengkulu and
paralyzing public transportation in Riau and West Java.

Idian, 44, Mukti, 30, and Rifal, 7, all residents of Cito
Mandi village in Rejang Lebong regency, Bengkulu, were found dead
and four others went missing when flash floods from the
overflowing River Belimbing hit the regency on Tuesday and
Wednesday.

Scores of rescue workers and village residents are searching
for Idian's wife La and their three-year-old daughter Herlina,
another villager, Yuli, 27, and her six-year-old son Ronal, all
of whom were swept away by the floods.

Rejang Lebong deputy regent Umar Usman said authorities were
having difficulty providing aid because of the village's remote
location, some 120 kilometers from Bengkulu city.

"The village that was hit by the floods can only be reached by
motorcycle or by foot," he said, adding that the flooding had
damaged dozens of houses and displaced more than 70 families.

Also, a section of the East Trans-Sumatra Highway in Kerinci
was badly damaged by a flash flood that swept through Indragiri
Hulu and Pelalawan regencies in Riau. All vehicles traveling the
Sumatra-Java route through the province must be extra cautious
because of the numerous major holes left along the road.

The result has been an added five hours for motorists
traveling the highway.

The head of the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency office in
Pekanbaru, Purwoko Susilo, warned of more flooding because of
forecasts calling for between 250 millimeters and 300 millimeters
of rain in the next two weeks, up from the current 150
millimeters.

Meanwhile, a flash flood killed four villagers in Indragiri
Hulu last week.

A flooding in Garut since last Thursday has paralyzed land and
railway transportation from Bandung, West Java, to Central and
East Java.

Public transportation between Garut and Bumbulang has been
paralyzed since a 15-meter section of road was covered by a
landslide caused by incessant rain last Wednesday and Thursday.
At least 30 people were killed in two landslides in Garut and
Kuningan last week.

Train traveling between Bandung and Central and East Java have
been moved to the northern line since a section of track in
Rancaekek, Garut, was damaged by a landslide. This has resulted
in a five-hour increase in the length of most trips.

Flooding also has submerged resettlement areas and farmland in
West and Central Kalimantan.

Kota Waringin Timur Regent Wahyudi K. Anwar called on people
in the regency to stay alert for possible flash floods and
landslides because of the heavy rain earlier this week.

Besides displacing more than 30,000 people in West Kalimantan,
flooding in the province since early this month has submerged
about 1,000 hectares of ricefields and dozens of villages.