Pekanbaru, Riau, Feb 10 (Antarariau.com)- Some five thousand inhabitants of Kampar District have sought refuge in emergency tents following the floods that submerged 50 villages in Riau Province since Tuesday.
"They are being accommodated in tens of tents set up at seven disaster mitigation command posts," M. Nasri of the local disaster mitigation office stated here on Wednesday.
The local authorities have also set up health posts to help the flood victims.
"The floodwaters have receded from 150 centimeters (cm) deep to 70-80 cm," he added.
Nasri, however, warned that the flood situation could worsen if the rains continued.
Indonesia is currently headed towards the peak of the rainy season that has caused flooding in several regions, including in West Sumatra, Bangka Belitung, West, Central and East Java, Jambi, Aceh, and West Kalimantan.
In the meantime, the death toll in landslides and floods in West Sumatra province rose to six after a search and rescue team recovered the body of a resident who was reported missing earlier.
The body of the 65-year-old resident, identified as M Yunus, was found from the same place as the four bodies recovered earlier, acting chief of the West Sumatra Provincial Disaster Mitigation Board, Zulfiatno, said.
"The team is still on the lookout for one missing victim, identified as Refa," he said.
According to the board, landslides and floods triggered by heavy rains affected the districts of Solok Selatan, Solok, Limapuluh Kota, Agam, Tanah Datar, Dharmasraya, Sijunjung and Pasaman and the municipalities of Solok and Sawahlunto.
Kampar Floods Force 5 Thousand Inhabitants to Flee Homes
