Over 50 dead after flash floods in Indonesia, Timor Leste

JAKARTA: More than 50 people were killed after flash floods and landslides swept through eastern Indonesia and neighbouring Timor Leste Sunday, authorities said, warning the toll could rise further.

Floods sparked by torrential rain wreaked havoc and destruction on islands stretching from Flores Island in Indonesia to Timor Leste, a small nation east of the Indonesian archipelago.

The deluge and subsequent landslides caused dams to overflow, submerging thousands of houses and leaving rescue workers struggling to reach survivors trapped in the aftermath.

“Four sub-districts and seven villages have been impacted. After verifying the data with our team in the field, we found that there are 41 people dead,” Indonesian Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesperson Raditya Jati told journalists, revising down earlier figures. “Twenty seven people are still missing and nine people are injured,” he added.

Mud inundated homes, bridges and roads in the East Flores municipality, where rescuers struggled to reach a remote and badly-hit area because of rains and strong waves. In neighbouring Timor Leste, 11 were killed by floods in the capital Dili, authorities said.

“We are still searching for the areas impacted by the natural disasters,” Secretary of State for Civil Protection for Timor Joaquim Jose Gusmao dos Reis Martins told journalists. The death toll and the number of injured victims could still rise, authorities warned. East Flores deputy regent Agustinus Payong Boli estimated there were 60 casualties in his municipality.

“The majority of them, 55, are in Lemanele village. Many people died here because the village was hit by both landslides and flash floods,” he told AFP, providing numbers not yet confirmed by national authorities.