19 killed, 10 missing in Indonesia floods

Jakarta, Sep 11 (IANS) Floods triggered by days of heavy rains have killed at least 19 people and left 10 others missing on Indonesia's Bali Island and in East Nusa Tenggara province.

Gusti Ayu Ketut Wijayanti, spokesperson for the Bali office of the National Search and Rescue Agency, told Xinhua news agency on Thursday that flash floods have killed 13 people and left six missing on the island. Flooding and 18 landslides were also reported in several areas.

The country's Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency reported that rainfall of up to 150 millimetres was recorded in parts of Bali between Tuesday and Wednesday, and warned that heavy rain is expected to continue throughout the week.

In East Nusa Tenggara province, floods damaged houses and farmland, forcing residents to evacuate to higher ground.

Gasper Losa Manisa, head of the emergency unit at the provincial Disaster Management and Mitigation Agency, said the floods have left six people dead and four missing, adding that rescue operations are underway.

Indonesia's rainy season usually runs from November to April, a period prone to floods, landslides, and related diseases. However, climate change has prolonged the rainy season and intensified downpours in recent years, resulting in more severe disasters.

On Wednesday, rescuers had recovered the bodies of a mother and her child buried under mud in the worst-hit village of Mauponggo and a man in the neighbouring village of Loka Laba in Nagekeo district of East Nusa Tenggara, officials said. Previously, three members of a family were found dead after their house was swept away, and four people were missing in Mauponggo village.

Rain had caused rivers to burst their banks, tearing through nine cities and districts in Bali. Mud, rocks and trees tumbled onto the mountainside hamlets and rising rivers submerged at least 112 neighbourhoods and resulting in several landslides, Bali’s Disaster Mitigation Agency said in a statement.

--IANS

int/jk/sd