Flash flood hits villages in Flores
Flash floods and landslides hit villages in Flores, East Nusa Tenggara on Sunday, 4th April 2021, killing at least 44.
Several more were reported missing, while buildings and roads were destroyed in the floods and the landslides that followed afterwards.
The disaster occurred in the early hours of Easter Sunday when most villagers were asleep.
The death toll is expected to rise
Image credit: Antara
The death toll is expected to rise due to the difficulties in reaching the most remote and hardest-hit areas in East Flores amid heavy rain, said officials from the National Disaster Mitigation Agency.
Image credit: Antara
According to the agency’s spokesperson Raditya Jati, extreme weather will likely continue in the coming week as a tropical cyclone is approaching the Savu Straits between East Nusa Tenggara and Timor-Leste.
On the same day, severe floods also hit the island of Bima in the neighboring province of West Nusa Tenggara, killing 2 people and damaging nearly 10,000 houses.
The current weather conditions in East Nusa Tenggara
Image adapted from: Accuweather
Indonesia is no stranger to fatal landslides and floods during the wet season – in January 2021, flash floods in Sumedang, West Java resulted in 40 fatalities.
Flash floods hit villages in Flores
The past week has been a difficult one for Indonesians to say the least, with several disasters from the terrorist attack during a Palm Sunday church service to last Wednesday’s attempted terrorist attack in Jakarta and Sunday’s floods and landslides in East Flores.
We hope that those affected by the floods in East Flores will receive the help they need and those who lost their lives will be adequately identified.
More news from Indonesia:
- Attempted terror attack outside the National Police HQ in Jakarta
- Sriwijaya Air SJ182’s cockpit voice recorder retrieved
- Fire at Pertamina refinery in Indramayu
Cover image adapted from Antara
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