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Flash floods in Indonesia kill at least 8, mud hampers relief work

Flash floods in Indonesia kill at least 8, mud hampers relief work

Residents examine the damage following a flash flood in Batu, East Java, Indonesia, Nov 4, 2021. (Photo: AP/Hendra Permana)

KOTA BATU, Indonesia: Indonesian rescuers scrambled on Friday (Nov 5) to find survivors under mud-swamped hillsides after flash floods on Java island killed at least eight people, the disaster agency said.

Torrential rains on Thursday unleashed flash floods in Malang and the highland city of Batu, inundating houses with mud and debris, while a wall of water destroyed local bridges.

Six people were pulled alive, while rescuers found a half dozen bodies in Batu and two more victims in Malang.

On Friday, teams raced to find several more people unaccounted for in Batu, according to Indonesia's national disaster mitigation agency.

"Until now, we are still trying to find three people still missing," the agency's acting spokesperson Abdul Muhari said in a statement.

The agency chief, Ganip Warsito, said heavy rains are expected to continue and increase until February, partly because of a La Nina weather pattern.

Residents and rescuers search for victims at the ruin of a house following a flash flood in Batu, East Java, Indonesia, Nov 4, 2021. (Photo: AP/Hendra Permana)

Relief efforts were hampered by power blocked roads covered with thick mud and debris.

Photos and videos released by the agency showed a damaged bridge, and cars and houses covered in thick mud.

Authorities were still collecting information about damage and possible casualties, Warsito said.

Seasonal rains frequently cause flooding and landslides in Indonesia, an archipelago of 17,000 islands where millions of people live in mountainous areas or near fertile flood plains.

Source: Agencies/dv

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