Flash floods kill 8 in Indonesia
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E-mail Xinhua, July 26, 2012
Flash floods in West Sumatra of Indonesia on Tuesday evening have killed eight people and caused massive infrastructure damage, local officials said on Thursday.
Heavy rains caused the river in Padang city overflowed its banks at about 6:30 p.m. Tuesday when people were breaking their fasting, Ade Edward senior official at the local disaster management and mitigation agency said.
"Eight people are dead in the floods and scores of buildings and bridges have collapsed," he told Xinhua over phone from Padang, the capital of West Sumatra province.
Edward said that the floods had seriously damaged over 90 houses, 11 mosques, five bridges and one health clinic. Some rescuers are still trapped in the flooded areas, he added.
The rescuers had difficulty in reaching some areas where water level was chest-deep, said Edward.
The local authorities had delcared a state of emergency and warned residents who live near the rivers to be on alert. More than 250 people are taking shelter in their relative houses or mosques, said Edward.
