The flash flood carrying mud and rock sediment suddenly rushed down from the Pancaro hills at around 3 pm local time although it was not raining, Julizarman, a spokesman of the Kerinci district administration, said here Thursday.
The flood submerged around 56 houses, a school building, 10 hectares of rice fields and 500 meteres of roads, he said, adding that at least 36 houses were seriously damaged as they were buried by the mud flow.
Local residents and volunteers had cleaned up the mud in the affected buildings.
Skorpio (29), a local resident, said he had never expected that his village could be hit by a flash flood because it was not raining. However, rain did fall in the hills.
Meanwhile, in East Nusa Tenggara, a flood swept away two houses at Lasaen village, Malaka Barat sub district, Belu District, on Wednesday evening.
Lesaen`s disaster mitigation coordinator, Yohanes Seran (39), confirmed in East Nusa Tenggara, Thursday that two houses were destroyed by the flood, but there were no fatalities.
The flood was triggered by the overflowing of Benenain River, which rose up to 3-4 meters high and submerged a number of houses at the village, he said.
According to Yohanes, local villages panicked and rushed to safer places.
Lasaen village is the worst hit by the flash flood and the local residents have taken refuge at Besikama I elementary school building since four weeks ago.
The dispatching of relief aid to the flood-affected village has been hampered because Wemasa Bridge, in Kobalima sub district, which connects to the village, collapsed.
(Uu.F001/HAJM/A014)
Editor: Priyambodo RH
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
