More than 60 dead in Indonesia floods, landslides

By Ainur Rohmah

TUBAN, Indonesia (AA) – An Indonesian official confirmed Friday that more than 60 people have been killed and thousands displaced in floods and landslides in the Indonesian islands of Java and Sulawesi over the past week.

Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, national disaster management agency spokesman, told Anadolu Agency that storms that began sweeping through Central Java last Saturday had left 59 people dead and hundreds displaced, with 43 fatalities and three missing persons cases recorded in the hardest-hit regency of Purworejo.

At least five other people were killed after rough weather conditions struck Central Sulawesi province to Java's east Tuesday, with search teams racing against time to rescue around four people reported missing in Sangihe Islands Regency.

"The search for survivors and victims who were buried by landslides and lost at sea has been hampered due to strong winds and weather which is still uncertain," Nugroho said.

“After seven days searching for landslide victims in Purworejo [in Java], the operation ended Friday."

The government has declared a State of Emergency until July 4 as authorities remain on alert for the La Nina weather phenomenon, the cooler counter to the El Nino conditions that affected the equatorial Pacific region earlier this year.

"The phenomenon caused floods and landslides," said Nugroho, underlining that La Nina conditions are predicted to last until September.

He warned that 274 districts and cities across Indonesia are located in areas prone to landslides, which can pose a threat to a total of 40.9 million people -- around 17 percent of Indonesia’s population -- particularly those residing near steep hills.

He said the government had already warned residents living near such terrain, but they remained despite the danger.

"Generally they live in areas with limited infrastructure, so that when a disaster occurs, the evacuation would be difficult," he added.