24 killed in Indonesia floods, landslides

Footage aired by local broadcasters shows villagers sitting on their roofs to escape the rising water

Heavy rains drenched several areas for much of Saturday, causing flooding and landslides in 16 towns and cities across the province.

"The floods and landslides occurred in the districts of Kebumen, Banjarnegara, Wonosobo, Purworejo, Banyumas, Karanganyar, Wonogiri and Solo in the Central Java region", he said in a media statement today.

Villagers walk through an area affected by landslides in Banjarnegara, Central Java, Indonesia. on Sunday.

The death toll from flash floods and landslides in Indonesia has risen to 35, an official said yesterday, as search crews scour devastated villages in the hope of finding survivors.

Most of the landslides and flooding occurred in the Purworejo subdistrict, where 11 people died and 26 are reported missing.

"The public is advised to remain on high alert for heavy rain and potential for floods and landslides", Nugroho added. "All of a sudden a major landslides occurred and buried the vehicles and people on the road", Sutopo pointed out.

Rescue workers are still searching for victims and evacuating others.

A further 25 people are missing, according to officials with Indonesia's emergency management organization, in an interview with CNN.

Dr Sutopo said the disaster is being managed at a provincial level with support from the central government in terms of logistics, and funding.

TV footage showed villagers sitting on rooftops to escape the rising water, their cars and homes submerged in brown water.

The flooding and landslides occurred on Java, the southernmost of the county's main islands and home to the capital, Jakarta. In one instance, a mud avalanche buried five people in their homes as it swept across a village. Evacuation centres, equipped with temporary shelters and kitchens, had been set up near the disaster zones.

Source: 24 killed in Indonesia floods, landslides