JAKARTA – A wall of water 4m (13ft) high deluged a neighbourhood on the outskirts of the Indonesian capital yesterday after a dam burst, killing at least 52 people.
Authorities in Jakarta feared that the death toll could rise as rescuers were still trying to reach those hit by the flood, which struck in the early hours while many people were sleeping.
Images from the suburb of Cirendu, southwest of Jakarta, showed bodies floating among debris as rescuers waded chest-deep in the muddy water.
Hours of torrential rain had filled Lake Situ Gintung before the 10m (33ft) dam, which could be a century old, collapsed, sending the wall of water cascading through narrow streets. – ( Guardianservice)
