Floods engulf Indonesian capital, at least 5 killed
Source: Reuters
(Adds details from flooded areas, risk of more floods) By Telly Nathalia JAKARTA, Feb 3 (Reuters) - At least five people have been killed in severe floods in Indonesia's capital and surrounding areas with more than 100,000 left homeless after days of torrential rain, a disaster official said on Saturday. Floods in the rainy season in Indonesia are common, but the devastation this week has been the worst in five years, causing chaos on roads, stranding residents and shutting train lines. "Five people died, three from East Jakarta and two from Bekasi," said Firman Hairuyusuf an official at Indonesia's natural disaster centre, referring to a town east of the capital. "The worst hit area is Bekasi. In Jakarta the waters have started to recede," he said, adding that the muddy brown flood waters had engulfed mosques and freeways as well as homes. But an official later warned that heavy rain in higher ground around the city of Bogor, south of the capital, could trigger more flooding downstream in Jakarta in the next six to nine hours. "We are anticipating this, so we urge communities who live in the path of the flood area to be ready," said Bobby Aryono, head of the Jakarta crisis centre. Rustam Pakaya, a senior health ministry official, said by telephone that 15 medical teams, some in rubber boats, had been sent to some of the worst hit areas. Officials are also concerned over health issues with so many people displaced. The floods also come amid a surge of cases of dengue fever in many parts of the capital. In the Benhill area of the capital murky water was waist deep on Saturday and many electronics shops in the commercial district were flooded. Some residents used horse-drawn carts and boats to move around flooded districts. Other reports said the floods, which have affected both slum areas and posh housing estates in the low lying city built originally on swampland, were even deeper in some areas. The governor of Jakarta Sutiyoso declared on Friday the highest alert for Angke in North Jakarta after water reached 3 metres (9 feet), the Jakarta Post newspaper reported. The floods have caused major power blackouts and telephone lines were also down in some parts of the city of 9 million as flooding affected underground cables, officials said. Soldiers were also drafted in to help evacuate residents in some areas, with public transport paralysed in many areas. Endro Santoso, an official at the Meteorology agency, told the Jakarta Post that the city could suffer another week of heavy rains.
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