At least 29 dead in Jakarta, thousands flee in Indonesian capital’s worst deluge since 2013
- Torrential rains forced closure of an airport and tens of thousands of people to flee their homes
- Among the victims was an elderly couple trapped inside their house and a teenage boy electrocuted by a power line
Indonesia’s disaster agency warned on Thursday of more deaths after torrential rains pounded the Jakarta region, triggering floods and landslides that killed at least 29 and left vast swathes of the megalopolis underwater.
Tens of thousands of residents have been evacuated to temporary shelters in the area – home to some 30 million – with scores of houses damaged in the deadliest flooding in years, after torrential rains on New Year’s Eve.
Images from across the region showed waterlogged homes and cars covered in muddy floodwaters, while some people took to paddling in small rubber lifeboats or tyre inner-tubes to get around.
In Bekasi, on the outskirts of the city, receding waters gave way to scenes of swampy streets littered with debris and crushed vehicles cars lying on top of each other, with waterline marks reaching as high as buildings’ second floors.
Rescuers used inflatable boats to evacuate residents still trapped in their homes, including children and seniors.