At least 50 die as Indonesian dam bursts

Torrential rain caused a dam to burst early today, sending a wall of water crashing into a crowded neighbourhood just outside Indonesia’s capital, Jakarta.

The flood killed at least 50 people, left more than a dozen others missing and submerged hundreds of homes.

Rescuers, some using rubber rafts to reach victims, predicted the death toll would rise.

Health Ministry Crisis Centre chief Rustam Pakaya said the dam – which was built decades ago, when the country was still under Dutch colonial rule – broke at around 2am, while most people were sleeping.

In some places, water levels were roof high.

A nine-year-old girl was found unconscious on top of her home after waters receded, but she died on the way to the hospital, said rescuer Toni Suhartono, adding that the girl’s parents and sister were among the missing.

Elsewhere, bodies were seen floating amid chairs, clothing, sandals and other debris. Telephone lines were toppled and cars swept away, some parked in driveways and ending up in parks or intersections hundreds of feet away.

“A flash flood came suddenly and was horrifying,” said Seto Mulyadi, adding that the water smashed all the windows and doors on the ground floor of his house, while he, his wife and four children were sleeping upstairs. “My house is a dreadful mess ... Thank God my family is safe.”

Some people living near the dam said they heard sirens before the disaster, which followed a four-hour downpour. Others were caught completely off guard.

At least 50 people were killed and more than 400 houses submerged, according to health ministry sources.