Asia Pacific
Floods, Landslides, Kill Dozens in Indonesia & East Timor
Flash floods unleashed by heavy rains killed 41 people on the island of Flores in Indonesi , the disaster management agency said on Sunday. As many as three more were also reportedly killed in neighboring East Timor.
At least 49 families were hit in Flores, to the east of the extensive Indonesian archipelago, Raditya Jati, the BNPB spokesman, said in a statement. “Dozens of houses buried in mud in Lamanele village … residents’ houses were swept away by the flood,” Raditya said, referring to the eastern part of Flores.
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On the island of Adonara in the east of Flores, a bridge collapsed, and the rescuers fought against heavy rain, strong winds, and waves, he added. In neighboring East Timor, a two-year-old child was among the at least three people killed in a landslide in the outskirts of the capital, Dili, a witness told Reuters, even though there was no official death.
“Heavy rains and overflowing water have drowned houses and also claimed several lives,” East Timor Prime Minister José Reis said in a statement. “There is a collapsed road, the tree has fallen, and makes it difficult to access several regions,” he said, mentioning the worst incident in East Timor in 40 years.
The electrical equipment was cut, and the Presidential Palace was flooded because heavy rain and strong winds had condemned Dili since late Saturday. Meanwhile, the civil protection officials in East Timor could not be contacted immediately for comments. Several images on the social media showed collapsed buildings and vehicles submerged by flash floods.
The Indonesian weather body said the tropical cyclone approached the pseudo strait between the southern part of the province of Nusa Tenggara and the North Coast of Timor Lorosae, warned that it could bring more rain, waves, and wind.