Eleven residents from five affected households had even taken refuge to safer places after the flooding severely damaged their houses, the agency's head, Nimal Lahamang, said in Makassar.
The catastrophe that occurred following heavy rainfall and overflowing river damaged nine houses, a village office building, and two school buildings, as well as affected 40 other houses, he said.
The agency has supplied humanitarian aid and logistics to the affected village as rescuers continued their endeavors to evacuate those severely affected by the flooding, he added.
The flooding that hit Inalipue Village in Wajo District, South Sulawesi Province, this week is one of the natural disaster events in Indonesia this year.
The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) recorded 1,423 natural disaster events in different parts of Indonesia between January 1 and June 15, 2021.
The catastrophes did not only kill at least 493 people and cause 68 others to go missing but they also affected 5,206,534 people, many of whom were forced to seek refuge elsewhere.
The agency further noted that floods, whirlwinds, landslides, and bush and forest fires were the most common disaster events reported in the country.
As many as 135,187 homes and 2,920 public facilities were damaged in their aftermath.
According to the BNPB, Indonesia recorded 592 floods, 394 whirlwinds, and 288 landslides in the first half of this year.
In addition, the archipelago experienced 108 bush and forest fires, 20 events involving abrasion and high waves, 19 disastrous earthquakes, and two droughts.
The disaster events, which left 12,853 people injured, also damaged 1,367 educational facilities, 1,207 houses of worship, 346 health facilities, 492 office buildings, and 282 bridges.
Highlighting Indonesia's vulnerability to a variety of natural hazards, BNPB spokesperson Raditya Jati has appealed to the people to remain alert.
This year, one of the deadliest catastrophes that Indonesia experienced was the 6.2-magnitude earthquake that rattled the districts of Mamuju and Majene in West Sulawesi province on January 15.
The quake claimed more than 100 lives and acutely affected several residents in sub-districts such as Mamuju, Tapalang, Tapalang Barat, Simboro Kepulauan, Kalukku, and Bonehau.
The earthquake damaged 9,179 houses in Mamuju district alone, the BNPB reported.
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Translator: A.Kadir, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Sri Haryati
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