77 dead, scores missing after dam bursts

Soldiers and police dug through piles of mud and debris today in a desperate search for survivors after a flood from a burst dam killed at least 77 people outside Indonesia’s capital, Jakarta. But they were losing hope the 100 still missing would be found alive.

Days of torrential downpours filled a large lake bordering the low-lying residential area of Cirendeu to flood level. A huge section of the Dutch colonial-era dike tore away before dawn on Friday, sending more than 70 million cubic feet (2 million cubic meters) of water gushing through the gaping hole.

Some residents said it felt like they’d been hit by a tsunami.

They accused authorities of ignoring warning signs and failing to repair damage to the dam, claiming it had been weakened in several places over the years because of prior flooding caused by blocked spillways.

Hundreds gathered at nearby Muhammadiyah University, pressed into service as a makeshift morgue, with bodies lined up in a row under batik sheets. Mothers wailed as they identified their dead children.

Four field hospitals were set up to accommodate more than 180 wounded, some with broken bones, head wounds and severe cuts, said Rustam Pakaya, an official with the government crisis centre.

The death toll kept climbing as soldiers, police and volunteers dug in with excavators, hoes or their bare hands, reaching 77 by nightfall.

“We’ve evacuated almost all of the survivors from their houses,” said National Disaster Co-ordinating Agency spokesman Priyadi Kardono. “We fear most of the 102 reported missing have been killed.”

Most of the water had receded today, leaving behind streets covered in mud and debris. Cars that had been parked in driveways were swept hundreds of feet away, landing in parks. Pavements were strewn with sandals, cooking pans and old photographs.

It was not immediately clear what caused the accident.

But many alleged the 76-year-old dam, like much Indonesian infrastructure, was poorly maintained.

Seasonal downpours cause dozens of landslides and flash floods each year in Indonesia, a nation of 235 million.