Flash floods in Indonesian capital kill three

Jakarta (dpa) - Flash floods in Indonesia's capital Jakarta killed at least three people and left hundreds stranded in makeshift shelters, officials and news reports said Friday.

The flooding, sparked Thursday by hours of incessant rains and a sudden inflow of river water from upstream areas, inundated thousands of homes in residential sections of the sprawling metropolis of more than 11 million people.

The floodwaters were receding in parts of the city on Friday, allowing residents to return to their homes but hundreds of others remained at the evacuation centres, officials said.

At least three people, including a four-year-old boy, were killed by the floods, while another 10-year-old boy was reported missing and feared drowned.

"Rescue workers, comprising police and military officers joined by local community, were still searching for the missing child,'' the official Antara news agency quoted Firman Hutajulu, head of Jakarta's natural disaster office, as saying.

Government officials described this week's flooding as one of the worst to hit Jakarta in the past two years.

Heavy flooding also swept through the metropolis in 2002, killing at least 34 people and causing widespread damage.

dpa sh pj pw AP-NY-02-14-03 0417EST

Copyright (c) 2003 dpa Deutsche Presse-Agentur GmbH
Received by NewsEdge Insight: 02/14/2003 04:17:28