16 killed in Indonesia flashfloods, landslides

At least 16 persons have been killed in Indonesia's Java province due to flashfloods and landslides, the national disaster agency said on Wednesday.

The flashfloods also left hundreds of people displaced in Garut area as water in two rivers overflowed due to heavy downpour on Tuesday, Xinhua news agency quoted Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesman of the national disaster agency, as saying.

According to EFE news, Sutopo in a tweet said 16 people died, raising the death toll which was earlier reported to be 10.

Hundreds of affected people have been moved into government office buildings and military stations, Sutopo added.

Search operations for the missing as well as emergency relief efforts are underway, involving soldiers, police, those from local disaster agency and search and rescue office.

Though the disaster management agency attributed the heavy rains to the La Nina phenomenon, Indonesia is prone to flooding and landslides every year during the rainy season, that peaks between December and February.

--IANS

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