Worst floods in five years swamp Indonesian capital
02 Feb 2007 11:31:00 GMT Source: Reuters
(Adds report of two deaths, quote, power cuts)
By Mita Valina Liem,
JAKARTA, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Torrential rain triggered the worst floods in five years in the Indonesian capital on Friday, as torrents of muddy water up to 2 metres (6.7 ft) deep swamped roads and stranded residents, police and witnesses said.
A police official at the Duren Sawit area of East Jakarta said officers were checking on a report two people had died from electrocution related to the floods.
Floods during the rainy season in Indonesia are common, but the heavy rains this week have caused chaos on roads and shut some train lines around Jakarta, police said.
"There is waist-deep water outside my building," said Rhea Chand, who works in development and lives in South Jakarta.
Mutiara Padmosantjojo, a 31-year-old child counsellor also living in South Jakarta, said the floods knocked out power.
"We've had a black out since last night. My house is not flooded, thank God, but I cannot go anywhere. I feel as if I live on an island surrounded by water."
Pratiwi, an official at the country's electricity company, said 293 electrical relay stations had been shut in Jakarta due to flooding.
A major toll road leading to the airport was closed briefly and telephone lines were also down in some parts of the city of 9 million as flooding affected underground cables, officials said.
Soldiers evacuated some residents in rubber boats in flooded slum areas, while outside the capital, train and road lines were cut in the Tangerang district west of Jakarta, Antara said.
The rain affected a large swath of West Java including the capital, Tangerang and the city of Bogor, home to famed botanical gardens, said Kukuh Ribudianto of the Meteorology agency.
In the capital, the rain had stopped by Friday afternoon, but another official at the agency said more downpours were likely until Saturday.
