Two foreigners killed in flash flood

Two foreigners killed in flash flood

JAKARTA : An American volunteer teacher and her Canadian colleague were killed after a flash flood hit a popular waterfall that the pair was visiting, police said on Thursday.

"Hannah Showaker, 25, of Newville, Pennsylvania, and Alana Fife, 22, of Winnipeg, Manitoba, were taking photos on Wednesday at the Sekar Langit waterfall, 600 kilometers east of Jakarta," an officer said.

Within seconds, a wave of water rushed down the waterfall and carried the two off," Sgt. Agus Burhanudin of the Magelang Police said.

Showaker's body was found among the rocks of nearby Sekar Langit river, he said. Police found Fife's body downstream late on Thursday, Agus said.

The victims were part of a group of tourists visiting the Sekar Langit waterfalls.

Flooding and landslides are common in Indonesia. Environmentalists have often blamed illegal loggers for the disasters. In December, a massive wave of mud, water and rocks triggered by days of heavy rain swept through the district of Pacet, East Java, killing 32 people. --Antara