Flood Claims 2 Lives, Affects 27,808 People in Bima's 29 Villages

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A flood, triggered by incessant heavy rain, has claimed two lives and affected 27,808 people or 9,245 families in 29 villages of Bima District, West Nusa Tenggara Province, hsince Saturday .

"The Bima Disaster Mitigation Office (BPBD) reported that two local residents died in the disaster, and 9,245 families comprising 27,808 people were affected," Raditya Jati, the office's spokesman, said on Sunday.

A number of people were displaced by the flooding, he added.

The flooding submerged 294 hectares of farming areas, 25 hectares of ponds, and 9,245 houses. It also damaged 12 of the flood-hit houses, and four bridges.

Downpour fell for around nine hours incessantly on Saturday throughout Bima, causing several dams in four sub-districts to overflow.

The affected sub-districts were Madapangga, Bolo, Woha, and Monta.

The Bima BPBD has coordinated with the authorities in the affected areas to distribute relief aid and deploy personnel to help flood victims.

It has also deployed rubber boats and provided emergency tents for displaced people.

Earlier, the Meteorological, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has warned that extreme weather such as heavy rains, strong wind and huge waves were forecast to occur in parts of Indonesia, including West Nusa Tenggara and East Nusa Tenggara Provinces.

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