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INDONESIA-ETIMOR-FLOOD-DISASTER-LANDSLIDE
More than 70 dead in Indonesia, East Timor floods: officials
JAKARTA, April 5, 2021 (BSS/AFP) – More than 70 people have died and dozens
are still missing after flash floods and landslides hit Indonesia and
neighbouring East Timor, officials said Monday.
“There are 55 dead, but this number is very dynamic and will definitely
change, while some 42 people are still missing,” Indonesia disaster
management agency spokesman Raditya Djati told broadcaster MetroTV.
At least 16 people had also died in East Timor, said an official in the
tiny half-island nation that lies between Indonesia and Australia.
Floods sparked by torrential rain wreaked havoc and destruction on islands
stretching from Flores in Indonesia to East Timor, sending thousands fleeing
into shelters.
The deluge and subsequent landslides caused dams to overflow, submerging
thousands of houses and leaving rescue workers struggling to reach trapped
survivors.
Fatal landslides and flash floods are common across the Southeast Asian
archipelago during the rainy season.
BSS/AFP/MSY/0933 hrs