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.