Indonesian Dam Burst Killing Dozens of People

Indonesian Dam Burst floods hundreds of homes, with 150 people killed or missing

A “horrifying” tsunami-like wave of water about 4m (13ft) high submerged hundreds of homes, with an estimated 150 people killed or missing in the suburb of Cirendeu in the Tangerang district near Jakarta, capital of Indonesia.

“This disaster happened so suddenly,” Danang Susanto, an official with the health ministry’s crisis centre, told AFP. “Because people were sleeping they couldn’t get away.”

It’s believed the death toll would rise because  many houses remained submerged; about 100 people are reportedly missing.

“The dam burst happened at 2:00am (1900 UTC, March 26, 2009) but before that there was heavy rain and wind, many trees were uprooted,” he added.

“Many people are still trapped and the rescue is ongoing. We’ve sent out 10 rubber boats to evacuate the victims.”

The 10-meter-high dam, built on the Pesanggrahan river, held about 2 million cubic meter of water and was more than 100 years old,  according to a city official.

A dam burst its banks near Jakarta, sending tsunami-like waves of muddy water crashing into a suburb of the Indonesian capital. Image AFP. Image may be subject to copyright.

Rescuers carry a flood victims on the outskirts of Jakarta where a dam burst killing up to 150 people and flooding hundreds of houses. REUTERS/Dadang Tri. Image may be subject to copyright.

Crowded suburb of Jakarta reduced to a pile of ruble and buried in mud. Up to a 150 people  are feared dead. Image AFP. Image may be subject to copyright.

A dam burst on the outskirts of Jakarta, with up to 150 people killed or missing. Image AFP. Image may be subject to copyright.