Floods, Landslides Leave 10 Dead in Indonesia

Jakarta, 9 Dec (ONA) --- At least ten people died due to flash floods and landslides that hit hilly villages on Indonesia's main island of Java, officials said today.

Two people are still missing.

Torrential rains since last week have caused rivers to burst their banks, tearing through more than 170 villages in Sukabumi district of West Java province, as mud, rocks and trees tumbled down mountainside hamlets.

Landslides, flash floods and strong winds devastated 172 villages and forced more than 3,000 people to flee to temporary government shelters. Local authorities have warned nearly 1,000 people to evacuate as more than 400 houses are threatened by extreme weather.

Seasonal rains from about October to March frequently causes flooding and landslides in Indonesia, an archipelago of 17,000 islands where millions of people live in mountainous areas or near fertile flood plains.

--- Ends/Khalid