Indonesia

Flood waters kill more than 50 after dam bursts

Article published on the 2009-03-27 Latest update 2009-03-27 14:05 TU

Rescuers search for flood victims on the outskirts of Jakarta 27 March 2009.
(Photo: Reuters)

At least 58 people are dead and dozens of others are missing after a dam burst early Friday morning near Jakarta, sending a wall of water crashing into a low-lying residential neighbourhood.

Days of heavy rains caused the earthen dam at the edge of Situ Gintung lake in Cireundeu to break in the middle of the night.

“People had no idea what was happening simply because they were asleep at the time”, said Correspondent John Aglionby in Jakarta. “Houses were carried away, cars were carried away, people were carried away.”

Danang Susanto, an official with the health ministry's crisis centre, estimated up to 500 homes were destroyed or submerged. The water in some places was six metres (20 feet) high.

Rescue efforts are ongoing as people remain trapped on their roofs, trapped by rising flood waters. A local university assembly hall has been converted into a crisis centre and morgue.

Red cross ambulance worker Dedet Mulyadi said many flood victims had wounds caused by debris and branches.

“Maintenance, or lack of it is believed to be the main cause,” Aglionby told RFI. “This dam was built in the 1930s and Indonesia has a appalling record of maintaining its infrastructure.”

But as far as accepting foreign aid for disaster relief, Aglionby remained sceptical, saying that with local elections pending, authorities want to appear to have things in hand.

“I don’t think it’s beyond the capacities of the Indonesian authorities to manage. And they wouldn’t want to be seen to be inadequate or unable to help anyway,” he said.