22 February 2021

Thousands evacuated amid floods in Indonesia

22 February 2021

Thousands of residents are being evacuated on the outskirts of Indonesia’s capital amid flooding from the Citarum River.

The Bekasi district in Indonesia’s West Java province has experienced flooding since Saturday because of heavy rain.

“Some embankments are broken, not only from the river embankment but also from the irrigation embankments,” said public works and housing minister Basuki Hadimuljono.

Rescuers from the National Search and Rescue Agency have been deployed.

People push belongings through a flooded area in Indonesia (AP)

Raditya Jati, a spokesperson for the National Disaster Mitigation Agency, said that more than 28,000 residents in four villages in the Bekasi district and 34 villages in the Karawang district are affected by the floods. At least 4,000 people are being evacuated.

Thousands of houses in the area are covered with up to 100 inches of water and are without power.

Seasonal rains and high tides in recent days have caused dozens of landslides and widespread flooding across much of Indonesia

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