Severe rainy season floods hit greater Jakarta, displacing thousands of people

Floods inundated parts of the Indonesian capital Jakarta and its surrounding towns on Saturday following heavy rain overnight, displacing thousands of people.

In the capital, some homes were submerged under two metres of water and vehicles were swept away on the streets, television footage showed.

At least 139 neighbourhoods in Jakarta, home to about 10 million people, were affected and more than nearly 1,400 people were displaced, said Sabdo Kurnianto, the head of the city's civil protection agency.

There were no reports of fatalities. 

“In my neighbourhood, water is almost submerging entire homes,” said Jakarta resident Arsya Deva.

Citizens went to social media to report about families being trapped in their homes and awaiting rescue.