Jakarta floods kill five people, submerge neighbourhoods

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Feb 22, 2021 06:00 am

JAKARTA: Five people died in floods that submerged entire neighbourhoods in Jakarta, the authorities said yesterday, as residents returned to clean their homes and salvage belongings.

The city was struck by torrential rain over the weekend, which flooded dozens of major roads and forced hundreds to rush to emergency shelters.

A 67-year-old man was found dead after he became trapped in his waterlogged house in the southern part of the capital on Saturday, Jakarta Disaster Mitigation Agency head Sabdo Kurnianto said.

Indonesia's Meteorological Agency warned that Greater Jakarta - a region of around 30 million people - can expect more downpours next week.

Mr Kurnianto said some 1,700 people remained in shelters, though many had started returning to their homes.

Flood waters hit 200 neighbourhoods, and 40 were still under at least 30cm of water yesterday. - AFP