Indonesia, East Timor flash flood death toll surges past 150: Officials

Indonesia, East Timor flash flood death toll surges past 150: Officials
April 6, 2021, 9:23 am

An elderly villager and her grandson stand in floodwaters in front of their damaged home in the village of Haitimuk in East Flores on April 4, 2021, after flash floods and landslides swept eastern Indonesia and neighbouring East Timor. (File photo: AFP)

At least 157 people have been killed in Indonesia and neighboring East Timor with dozens more still missing after a tropical cyclone battered the Southeast Asian nations, leaving thousands homeless, authorities said Tuesday.

Indonesia’s disaster management agency said it had recorded 130 deaths in a cluster of remote islands near East Timor, where another 27 have been officially listed as dead.

Floods sparked by torrential rain wreaked havoc and destruction on islands stretching from Flores in Indonesia to East Timor, sending thousands fleeing into shelters.

The deluge and subsequent landslides caused dams to overflow, submerging thousands of houses and leaving rescue workers struggling to reach trapped survivors.

Fatal landslides and flash floods are common across the Southeast Asian archipelago during the rainy season.

source: AFP

Image source: AFP

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