JAKARTA -- Widespread flooding hit the Indonesian capital Tuesday after hours of torrential rain, with thousands of homes inundated, cars stranded and at least one person killed.

Water up to 1.5 meters deep swamped parts of the Indonesian capital and nearby commuter towns after a thunderstorm overnight.

People were forced from their houses in some places, with authorities setting up evacuation centers. The disaster agency said it had received more than 400 reports of floods across Jakarta.

In Bekasi, a city within the Jakarta metropolitan area, one person drowned while about 280 others were forced to evacuate, the agency said.

Images of the flooding showed major roads inundated in parts of the city of 10 million, people wading through deluged streets and cars in water up to their headlights.

Drains were unable to cope with the torrents of water unleashed by the storm and rivers burst their banks, said disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho.

Jakarta is hit by flooding to some degree every year during tropical Indonesia's monthslong rainy season, with the city's numerous riverside communities worst affected.

The city suffered one of its worst seasonal inundations in recent history in Jan. 2013. The flooding submerged a major downtown roundabout, forced 30,000 people from their homes and left 20 dead. </s> Torrential downpours have caused widespread flooding across parts of Indonesia, including in the capital, Jakarta, where the floodwaters are chest-deep in places.

The worst of the rains have fallen within the last two days.

The Jakarta Observatory reported 144mm of rain in the 24 hours up to 06:00GMT on Tuesday. The average for the entire month of February is 124mm.

This has resulted in thousands of homes being flooded and murky brown waters up to 1.5 metres deep in East Jakarta. Schools have been closed and many workers have been forced to stay at home.

Authorities say they have received more than 400 reports of flooding across Jakarta.

There has been the inevitable travel chaos with many cars abandoned as the waters continue to rise, but so far there have been no reports of any injuries.

Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesman for Indonesia's disaster management agency, said Jakarta's rivers and storm drains were not able to cope with the monumental amount of rain that was unleashed by the thunderstorms.

Jakarta is a coastal city with as many as 13 rivers, which often burst their banks during the rainy season causing massive flooding in the densely populated communities.

The capital is hit by flooding to some degree every year during tropical Indonesia's months-long rainy season, with the city's numerous riverside communities worst affected.

The city suffered one of its worst seasonal inundations in recent history in January 2013. The flooding submerged a major downtown roundabout, forcing 30,000 people from their homes and leaving 20 dead.

The city has fared better this time round. This may be thanks to work carried out by the municipal government which dredged a number of rivers and relocated illegal squatters into subsidised apartments. </s> JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Torrential rains triggered flash floods and landslides on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, killing at least 27 people, including a dozen children at a school, officials said Saturday. A flash flood…

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Torrential rains triggered flash floods and landslides on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, killing at least 27 people, including a dozen children at a school, officials said Saturday.

A flash flood with mud and debris from landslides struck Mandailing Natal district in North Sumatra province and smashed an Islamic school in Muara Saladi village, where 29 children were swept away on Friday afternoon, said local police chief Irsan Sinuhaji.

He said rescuers retrieved the bodies of 11 children from mud and rubble hours later.

The National Disaster Mitigation Agency’s spokesman, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, said rescuers and villagers managed to rescue 17 other children and several teachers on Friday and pulled out the body of a child on Saturday near Aek Saladi river, close to the school.

A video obtained by The Associated Press showed relatives crying besides their loved ones at a health clinic where the bodies of the children were lying, covered with blankets.

Nugroho said two bodies were found early Saturday from a car washed away by floods in Mandailing Natal, where 17 houses collapsed and 12 were swept away. Hundreds of other homes were flooded up to 2 meters (7 feet) high, while landslides occurred in eight areas of the region.

Four villagers were killed after landslides hit 29 houses and flooded about 100 buildings in neighboring Sibolga district, Nugroho said.

He said flash floods also smashed several villages in West Sumatra province’s Tanah Datar district, killing five people, including two children, and leaving another missing. Landslides and flooding in the neighboring districts of Padang Pariaman and West Pasaman killed four villagers after 500 houses flooded and three bridges collapsed.

Both North and West Sumatra provinces declared a weeklong emergency relief period as hundreds of terrified survivors fled their hillside homes to safer ground, fearing more of the mountainside would collapse under continuing rain, Nugroho said, adding that dozens of injured people were rushed to nearby hospitals and clinics.

Seasonal downpours cause frequent landslides and floods each year in Indonesia, a chain of 17,000 islands where millions of people live in mountainous areas or near fertile flood plains.

Copyright © 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed. </s> JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Torrential rains in the Indonesian capital have overwhelmed drains and flooded roads and thousands of homes.

The disaster mitigation agency said Tuesday that more than 50 areas are flooded in Jakarta, with waters up to 1.5 meters (4.9 feet) high in East Jakarta.

It said the city's drains couldn't accommodate the runoff and rivers also overflowed.

Floods in 2013 forced killed more than two dozen people in Jakarta and forced tens of thousands to flee their homes.

The city, which has about 30 million people in its greater metropolitan area, says it has reduced the number of flood prone areas since then by dredging rubbish-filled rivers and other measures.

Floods and deadly landslides are a fact of life for Indonesians during the wet season, with other major cities suffering repeated flooding.

Earlier this month, up to 40,000 people were caught in severe flooding following days of torrential rain in central Indonesia and 13 people were killed in landslides on the resort island of Bali. </s> JAKARTA: Jakarta was hit by widespread flooding on Tuesday after hours of torrential rain, with thousands of homes inundated, cars stranded and people forced to wade through murky brown water.

Water up to 1.5 meters (five feet) deep deluged parts of the Indonesian capital after a major thunderstorm overnight, with the disaster agency receiving more than 400 reports of flooding across the city.

People were forced from their houses in some places, although it was not immediately clear how many had been affected. Officials said they were yet to receive any reports of injuries or deaths.

Images of the flooding showed major roads inundated in parts of the megacity of 10 million, people wading through deluged streets and cars in water up to their headlights.

The floods happened after Jakarta’s drains were unable to cope with the torrents of water unleashed by the storm and rivers burst their banks, said disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho.

Jakarta is hit by flooding to some degree every year during tropical Indonesia’s months-long rainy season, with the city’s numerous riverside communities worst affected.

The city suffered one of its worst seasonal inundations in recent history in January 2013. The flooding submerged a major downtown roundabout, forced 30,000 people from their homes and left 20 dead. </s> JAKARTA: Widespread flooding hit Jakarta on Tuesday (Feb 21) after hours of torrential rain, with thousands of homes inundated and at least one person killed.

Water up to 1.5 metres deep deluged parts of the Indonesian capital after a major thunderstorm overnight, with the disaster agency receiving more than 400 reports of flooding across the city.

In Bekasi, a city within the Jakarta metropolitan area, one person drowned while about 280 others were forced to evacuate, the agency said.

Images of the flooding showed major roads inundated in parts of the megacity of 10 million, people wading through deluged streets and cars in water up to their headlights.

The floods happened after Jakarta's drains were unable to cope with the torrents of water unleashed by the storm and rivers burst their banks, said disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho.

Jakarta is hit by flooding to some degree every year during tropical Indonesia's months-long rainy season, with the city's numerous riverside communities worst affected.

The city suffered one of its worst seasonal inundations in recent history in January 2013. The flooding submerged a major downtown roundabout, forced 30,000 people from their homes and left 20 dead. </s> JAKARTA, Indonesia — Torrential rains triggered flash floods and landslides on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, killing at least 27 people, including a dozen children at a school, officials said Saturday.

A flash flood with mud and debris from landslides struck Mandailing Natal district in North Sumatra province and smashed an Islamic school in Muara Saladi village, where 29 children were swept away on Friday, said local police chief Irsan Sinuhaji. He said rescuers retrieved the bodies of 11 children from mud and rubble hours later.

The National Disaster Mitigation Agency’s spokesman, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, said rescuers and villagers managed to rescue 17 other children and several teachers on Friday and pulled out the body of a child on Saturday near Aek Saladi river, close to the school.

A video obtained by the Associated Press showed relatives crying besides their loved ones at a health clinic where the bodies of the children were covered with blankets.

Nugroho said two bodies were found early Saturday from a car washed away by floods in Mandailing Natal, where 17 houses collapsed and 12 were swept away. Hundreds of other homes were flooded, while landslides occurred in eight areas of the region.

Four villagers were killed after landslides hit 29 houses and flooded about 100 buildings in neighboring Sibolga district, Nugroho said.

He said flash floods also smashed several villages in West Sumatra province’s Tanah Datar district, killing five people, including two children, and leaving another missing. Landslides and flooding in the neighboring districts of Padang Pariaman and West Pasaman killed four villagers after 500 houses flooded and three bridges collapsed.

Both North and West Sumatra provinces declared a weeklong emergency relief period as hundreds of survivors fled their hillside homes to safer ground, Nugroho said. </s> Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Indonesia floods: Baby rescued from underneath collapsed building

At least 73 people have died and more than 60 are missing in flash floods in Indonesia's eastern province of Papua.

Rescue workers are struggling to reach remote parts of the province, and there are fears the number of dead may rise.

Roads have been blocked by landslides and fallen trees, and floodwaters have damaged two bridges and more than 100 houses.

More than 4,000 people have been forced from their homes, and some are sheltering in government offices.

Local residents said torrential rain began on Saturday evening and continued into the night, triggering mudslides and flash floods.

Image copyright EPA Image caption The town of Sentani was one of the worst affected areas

"Our house was flooded with thick mud... we immediately grabbed our valuables and ran to a neighbour's [two-storey] house to seek refuge," mother-of-two Lili Puji Hastuti told AFP news agency.

"It's hard to get out of the area because many roads are blocked... I'm worried, sad and scared all at once."

The search for victims continues in the town of Sentani, one of the worst affected areas.

At least 51 people were killed in the town, national disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho told Reuters news agency.

Another seven confirmed deaths were in the nearby provincial capital Jayapura, Mr Nugroho added.

However, a five-month-old baby was rescued in the city after being trapped under the rubble for hours, according to the military.

The baby was later reunited with his family. His father survived but his mother's whereabouts is unknown.

Warnings

Flooding is common in Indonesia, especially during the October-April rainy season.

In January, floods killed at least 70 people on the island of Sulawesi, and heavy rain in West Java earlier in March displaced hundreds.

Emergency officials say that in recent months they had warned the Papuan authorities of flood risks due to deforestation of mountains surrounding Jayapura.

Papua province borders the independent state of Papua New Guinea, to the east. </s> JAKARTA: Flash floods in Indonesia's easternmost province of Papua have killed at least 42 people and badly injured 21 others, a local disaster agency official told Reuters on Sunday (Mar 17).

The Sentani area near the provincial capital Jayapura has been hit by torrential rain since Saturday that triggered the floods, said the official, Cory Simbolon.

At least nine houses and two bridges were damaged by the floods, national disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said, adding that a search and rescue team has yet to reach all the affected areas.

"Waters have now receded, leaving mud, logs and other materials carried by the flash floods," Nugroho said in a statement.

More than 120 residents were taking shelter at government offices after their homes were hit by the floods, he said.

Authorities, aided by the Red Cross and volunteers, were responding to help the displaced, Nugroho said. 



"The number of casualties and impact of the disaster will likely increase as search and rescue teams are still trying to reach other affected areas," he added.

Flooding is not uncommon in Indonesia, especially during the rainy season which runs from October to April.

In January, floods and landslides killed at least 70 people on Sulawesi island, while earlier this month hundreds in West Java province were forced to evacuate when torrential rains triggered severe flooding.
Flooding occurs across parts of Indonesia, including the capital Jakarta, due to torrential downpours over the last few days. Thousands of homes have been flooded and schools were forced to close. However, there are no reports of injuries yet.