Jakarta Globe – AFP, January 16, 2014
A man walks past a car upside down after being hit by floods in Manado on Jan. 16, 2014. (AFP Photo/Yudi Makka) |
Manado. At
least 16 people have been killed and 40,000 have fled their homes after
torrential rain triggered flash floods and landslides on Indonesia’s northern
Sulawesi island, officials said Thursday.
Rivers on
the island’s northern tip overflowed and burst their banks, sending torrents of
water surging through the city of Manado and surrounding areas that swept away
poorly constructed houses and vehicles.
People
waded through waist-deep water to get to safety, while some took to rubber
dinghies to escape the rapidly rising flood waters.
Many of
those displaced took shelter in government buildings and churches in the
Christian pocket of Muslim-majority Indonesia.
Rinto Talib
said the flood waters surged suddenly into Manado, the main city in North
Sulawesi province, causing people to “panic.”
“I saw at
least six cars belonging to my neighbors swept away by the powerful waters,”
said the 52-year-old, adding it was “the worst flooding that has ever happened
in my life.”
Local
disaster agency chief Kristian Laotongan said that at least 16 people were
killed by the floods and landslides on Wednesday and two more were missing.
National
disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho added that 40,000 people had
fled their homes across the province.
People were
killed by floodwaters in Manado and by landslides in Tomohon city and Minahasa
district, officials said.
Indonesia
is regularly affected by deadly floods and landslides during its wet season,
which lasts for around six months.
Environmentalists
blame logging and a failure to reforest denuded land for exacerbating the
floods.
Agence France-Presse
Related Articles:
Manado Flood Death Toll Reaches 18, With 80,000 Displaced
Social Ministry Pledges Rp 5b to Manado Flood Victims
At Least 7 Dead as Jakarta Flooding Continues
This
picture taken on January 15, 2014 shows Indonesian
search and rescue members
helping residents after a flood
hit Manado, the capital city of the North
Sulawesi province of
Indonesia. (AFP Photo)
|
Related Articles:
Manado Flood Death Toll Reaches 18, With 80,000 Displaced
Social Ministry Pledges Rp 5b to Manado Flood Victims
At Least 7 Dead as Jakarta Flooding Continues
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