Indonesia flash floods wreak havoc in Flores Island, at least 44 killed & several missing

Indonesia’s Flores Island witnessed heavy rainfall over the weekend triggering flash floods in the region on Sunday morning. According to local media reports, at least 44 people have died so far due to the flooding, while scores of other people remain missing. Residents of the Catholic-majority Flores island would have been celebrating Easter had the rains not flooded their homes with rubble and mud. Emergency responders are finding it difficult to provide help to locals as roads and bridges have been destroyed in the rain. 

Roads, bridges damaged

According to news agency PTI, Indonesia’s National Disaster response agency said help was delayed due to power blackouts, blocked roads, and intense weather in Flores. “The obstacle in the field that was identified by BPBD officers was that the only access was the sea crossing to Adonara Island. Meanwhile, rain, wind, and high waves mean that shipping is not allowed by the local authorities,” Indonesia’s National Board of Disaster Management said in a statement. 

The agency also released pictures of rescue officials, including the police and military helping people reach shelters. In one of the villages in Flores island, three dead bodies were recovered by search and rescue teams. In another nearby village, five people have been killed while several others remain missing after water from an overflowing river breached the banks and entered homes. 

Indonesia’s weather agency has said that moderate-to-heavy rainfall is expected to occur in several areas across the country over the next few days. The flash floods were triggered by torrential rains that happen in Indonesia each year. Hundreds of thousands of people have lost their lives in Indonesia’s seasonal disasters in the past couple of decades. In January this year, more than 40 people were killed in two landslides in Java.

(Image Credit: Twitter/BNPB)