TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – At least 440 houses in the Jember regency in east Java were flooded as a result flash floods which hit the region on Sunday afternoon January 9. The floods affected 1,668 inhabitants.

Jember Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) secretary Heru Widagdo said Kaliwates and Rambipuji sub-districts had been inundated. Meanwhile, in the Panti sub-district, two people were swept away by the strong current of the river in the village of Kemiri and one person died in the village of Suci.

“In the Panci sub-district, two people were swept away by a fairly strong river current in the village of Kemiri due to heavy rainfall. They were Sirat (50 years old) and his wife Suliha (47 years old) who have not yet been found, while a victim named Jamaludin (54 years old), a resident of the village of Suci, died in the cold, ”Heru said.

He explained that the flooding occurred due to heavy rains which resulted in the overflow of the Semangir River. “The Semangir river cannot withstand the discharge of water, so it overflows in residential areas with water levels of 100 to 130 centimeters carrying mud,” he said.

According to him, the deluge had started to recede on Sunday. BPBD officials along with members of the Indonesian Army (TNI) and National Police (Polri) are reportedly helping to clean up residents’ homes and public facilities affected by the flooding on Monday morning.

“[We also open up] Kaliwates District Office public kitchens to provide food to residents affected by flash floods“Heru said.

Read: Flash floods in West Kalimantan districts Kill 2

ANTARA