MALAKA, Indonesia — Floods and landslides
triggered by tropical cyclone Seroja in a cluster of islands in southeast
Indonesia and East Timor have killed 113 people, with many still unaccounted
for and thousands displaced, officials said on Monday.
اضافة اعلان
At least 86 deaths were reported in several islands in
Indonesia's West and East Nusa Tenggara provinces, while 70 others were
missing, after the cyclone brought flash floods, landslides and strong winds
amid heavy rain over the weekend, disaster agency BNPB said.
In East Timor, which shares the Timor island with Indonesia,
at least 27 people were killed by landslides, flash floods, and a falling tree,
while 7,000 displaced, its government said.
On Lembata island, authorities feared bodies had been washed
away.
"We are using rubber boats to find bodies at sea. In
several villages, flash floods hit while people were sleeping," Thomas Ola
Langoday, deputy head of Lembata district government, told Reuters by phone.
About 30,000 people have been impacted by floods in Indonesia,
some already taking shelter in evacuation centers, but rescue operations have
been made difficult after five bridges collapsed and falling trees blocked some
roads, BNPB spokesman Raditya Jati said.
A continuing storm had also halted evacuations in some
places, local authorities said.
Hundreds of houses and other facilities such as a solar
power plant were damaged, BNPB said. Ships and motor boats sank as the cyclone
set off waves as high as 6 meters.
Powerful currents continued to flow through villages in the
Malaka district on Timor island on Monday, even though the rain had stopped.
Some residents there hauled themselves to their roofs to
escape flood water rising to 3-4 meters.
President Joko Widodo offered his condolences and ordered
speedy disaster relief efforts.
The Seroja cyclone hit the Savu sea southwest of Timor
island in the early hours of Monday, Indonesia's weather agency said.
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