Flood death toll rises to 26 in Jakarta, tens of thousands evacuated

Flood death toll rises to 26 in Jakarta, tens of thousands evacuated

Tens of thousandsof people were evacuated in Indonesia's capital Jakarta on Thursdayafter flash floods and landslides killed up to 26 people amid some ofthe heaviest rain in more than 20 years, with more deluges forecast,authorities said.

The flooding, amongthe deadliest in years, caused chaos in parts of Southeast Asia's biggest citywith train lines blocked and power outages in some areas. Swathes of Jakartaand nearby towns were inundated after heavy rain fell on Dec. 31 and into theearly hours of New Year's Day.

Social affairsministry data showed 26 people were killed in the flooding, up from the earliertoll of 21.

As of Thursdaymorning, over 62,000 people were evacuated in Jakarta alone, disastermitigation agency spokesman Agus Wibowo said, although later in the day he toldnews channel Metro TV the number of evacuees were down to around 35,000 people.

Rainfall at anairport in East Jakarta measured at 377 millimeters (15 inches) early on Jan.1, the highest daily reading during major floods since at least 1996, accordingto the Meteorology, Clilmatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG).

Umar Dani, 52, andhis family were evacuated overnight from his home in East Jakarta on a rubberboat after water levels rose up to his neck.

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