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Six killed, thousands displaced in South Sulawesi floods
Many residents were not prepared for the floods, which came quickly in Gowa on Tuesday.
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Residents try to hold on to a house that is being carried away by floodwater from the overflowing Jenebarang River in Gowa, South Sulawesi, on Jan. 22. (Antara/Abriawan Abhe)
Six people died and 10 went missing in a flood that hit Makassar City and six other districts in South Sulawesi on Tuesday.
The previous day, dozens of houses and several bridges were destroyed hours after torrential rainfall hit.
The six people were from Gowa district, which was inundated because of rising water levels in the Jenebarang River.
Gowa Regent Adnan Purichta Ichsan said some of the victims died because of electric shock while others were buried by landslides.
“We are continuing to evacuate and assist residents affected by the flood," he said as quoted by Antara.
The regent said as of Wednesday morning that the flood had displaced at least 2,121 people.
Aside from Gowa and Makassar City, the floods hit Takalar, Jeneponto, Maros, Pangkep and Barru regencies.
Jihadul Arifin, a resident of the Antang housing complex in Makassar City, said he did not have time to secure his valuable belongings because the floods came quickly and inundated the area.
He said the flood was a result of an overflow of water in Gowa regency after the opening of Bili-Bili Dam's sluice gate.
"We have not had the chance to secure it because the water was immediately high," he said on Wednesday.
He added that the flood was not like the previous year’s floods because it came suddenly, hitting the backs of residential houses and reaching heights as high as some roofs.
“Me and other residents are being evacuated to the mosque. We need clothes, blankets and public kitchens," he said. (ggq)
