Jakarta, April 4 (IANS) Flooding in Demak regency, Indonesia’s Central Java province, has forced around 3,000 residents to evacuate, with one person reported missing, the country’s National Disaster Management Agency said on Saturday.
The disaster was triggered by heavy rainfall in upstream areas, which increased water discharge and caused embankments in Dukuh Solowere and Dukuh Selodoko to collapse, inundating nearby residential areas.
“A total of 1,070 households, or 4,280 people, were affected. Of these, 2,839 residents have been evacuated to several shelters, while one resident remains missing,” the agency’s spokesperson Abdul Muhari said in a written statement, Xinhua news agency reported.
A rapid assessment conducted by the Demak Regional Disaster Management Agency showed that eight villages across four districts were affected.
Local authorities and emergency teams have evacuated residents, set up temporary shelters, distributed sandbags to reinforce damaged embankments, and provided food and medical assistance to evacuees. Search operations for the missing resident were ongoing.
On Thursday, a powerful 7.6-magnitude earthquake had struck the Maluku region of eastern Indonesia.
A woman was found dead during the rescue process after the earthquake. The victim, a 70-year-old resident of Minahasa regency in North Sulawesi, was killed after being struck by collapsing building debris during the quake, said the local search and rescue team in Manado, the capital city of North Sulawesi.
The country’s National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) said in a statement on Thursday morning that the strong earthquake struck the waters southeast of Bitung City, North Sulawesi. Very strong shaking was felt for 10 to 20 seconds in Bitung and the surrounding areas.
The BNPB said two aftershocks centered at sea were also recorded, adding that preliminary impact data indicate light to moderate damage in Ternate.
The tremors sparked panic as residents rushed out of their homes. Images and videos posted on social media showed significant structural damage, with collapsed ceilings littering the ground and building frames visibly distorted.
The BNPB said the earthquake had the potential to trigger a tsunami in North Maluku and North Sulawesi, issuing early warning alerts with “alert” and “caution” status.
Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) had however later lifted the tsunami warning following monitoring that showed no significant sea level changes.
Local governments had also been urging to direct residents to evacuate, while people living in coastal areas were advised to stay away from beaches and riverbanks and follow official instructions.
–IANS
/as