Sulawesi Flash Floods Kill at Least 16
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15 July 2020 14:18 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Flash floods and landslides have killed at least 16 people and displaced hundreds in a district in Sulawesi, officials at the national disaster mitigation agency (BNPB) said on Wednesday, July 15.
Search and rescue officials were still looking for 23 people missing after the floods struck the North Luwu district of South Sulawesi province, said Raditya Jati, a BNPB spokesman.
In one village, photographs showed a damaged house and a truck partially submerged under thick mud, while a runway at a local airport was also swamped by mud and debris.
“I hope we will be united in our recovery efforts,” Nurdin Abdullah, the governor of South Sulawesi, said on Kompas TV.
Heavy rains had inundated three nearby rivers for several days prompting the evacuation of 655 people due to the floods, officials at the local disaster mitigation agency and search and rescue agency told Reuters.
Indonesia frequently suffers from floods and landslides particularly during the rainy season, though the situation is often made worse by the cutting down of forests.
Flooding also killed 66 people in the capital Jakarta in January, amid some of the heaviest rain since records began.
Related coverage: Flood Still Lurking amid COVID-19 Pandemic in Jakarta
REUTERS
