High tide forces thousands to flee Indonesian capital

High tides have flooded parts of the Indonesian capital Jakarta with sea water, forcing tens of thousands of people to flee homes, cutting off a toll road leading to the international airport, officials and media reports said today.

Authorities installed pumps to bring down water levels, which were two yards high in several subdistricts and reached more than a mile inland, but said they expected tides to continue to wreak havoc through the end of the month.