Jakarta: The death toll from heavy rains and landslides in Indonesia and East Timor has crossed 75. The BBC reports that more than 40 people are missing. The cause of the disaster was a landslide that caused the dams to overflow due to heavy rains.
Most of the houses in the area from Flores Island in eastern Indonesia to East Timor were flooded. Hundreds of homes were flooded. Thousands were evacuated. Mud flooded houses, bridges, and roads. Officials said rescue efforts were delayed because of bad weather. Authorities are moving people to temporary shelters.
Tragedy mitigation team spokesperson Raditya Jati said 55 people had been killed and the death toll could rise. 42 people are still missing. Bad weather is a challenge for rescue operations. He added. Foreign media report that 21 people have been killed in East Timor alone. Deputy Regent Augustine Payong Boli said more than 60 people had been killed in East Flores.
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The BBC reports that many of the dead were from the national capital, Dili. Tens of thousands of people have been evacuated from Bima due to heavy flooding. Indonesian President Joko Widodo extended condolences. He asked the people to follow the advice given by the Meteorological Department in this regard. He also said that disaster relief operations should be expedited.
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