Cirendeu dam burst death toll raises to 77

Rescue workers reported Saturday noon the number of people killed when a dam burst in Cirendeu, Tangerang, Banten, has climbed to at least 77, with  more than 100 others were missing and feared dead.

Soldiers and police dug through piles of mud and debris in search of survivors after a part of the dam, which held water from Situ Gintung lake burst, demolishing hundreds of houses and uprooting trees.

Days of torrential downpours filled a large lake bordering the low-lying residential area of Cirendeu to flood level. A huge section of the Dutch colonial-era dike tore away before dawn Friday, sending more than 2 million cubic meters)of water gushing through the gaping hole.

Much of the water had receded by Saturday morning, but streets were still covered in mud and debris. Cars that had been parked in driveways were swept hundreds of meters away, landing in parks. Sidewalks were strewn with sandals, cooking pans and old photographs.

The death toll kept climbing as hundreds of soldiers, police and volunteers dug in with excavators, hoes or their bare hands. National Disaster Coordinating Agency spokesman Priyadi Kardono said rescue workers have evacuated almost all of the survivors from their house.

"Now we're focusing on digging through the mud and debris in search of bodies. We fear most of the 102 reported missing have been killed," he said. (dre)