Indonesia: Heavy rainfalls hit Jakarta, 19 killed

By Nicky Aulia Widadio and Hayati Nufus

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AA) - At least 19 were killed in Indonesia’s capital and nearby towns when heavy rains caused flash floods, the authorities said on Thursday.

"It has been confirmed that 19 people died, two others are still waiting to be confirmed," Social Affairs Minister Juliari Peter Batubara said.

Large parts of Jakarta were flooded after torrential rains hit the capital on New Year’s Eve. The floods displaced nearly 30,000 people.

The Indonesian National Board for Disaster Management (BNPB) said that the deaths were caused by drowning, hypothermia and landslides, while four died after being electrocuted by power lines.

"Currently, BNPB is still collecting data from various sources and the number of victims is likely to rise," Agus Wibowo, the spokesman for the board, said in a statement.

Some 170 areas across the country were reportedly swamped by floods as of Wednesday night, with 63 in Jakarta, 97 in West Java and 9 in Banten province.

Located in the equatorial belt, Indonesia often suffers from flash floods and landslides caused by extreme rainfalls.

The country’s Meteorology and Climatology and Geophysics Agency predicted that heavy rains will continue to hit Jakarta and nearby towns in the next three days.

Provincial government of Jakarta deployed 120,000 officers to respond to the floods.

Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan said in a press conference that temporary shelter, health facilities, medicines, medical personnel, food, and drinking water are already prepared to be distributed.