Thursday, March 26, 2009

28 dead after dam bursts in Indonesia

Heavy rains broke a dam in Indonesia's capital Friday, sending water rushing into hundreds of homes and killing at least 28 people, a government official said.

The dam broke early Friday in southern Jakarta and rescuers were scrambling to save people from the floodwaters, said Mardjito of Indonesia's social affairs ministry.

People fled to the rooftops of their homes and were waiting to be rescued, said Mardjito, who goes by one name.

"Eighteen people are dead so far, but we can expect more, since most of the houses are covered by muds. We're still trying to get into the houses, but the problem is, muds are getting in our way," the official said.

Many family members frantically tried to find their missing loved ones.
Source http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/03/27/indonesia.dam/

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