WORLD> Asia-Pacific
Dam burst near Indonesian capital kills 50
(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-03-27 19:44


A view of the damage after a flood on the outskirts of Jakarta March 27, 2009. A dam on the outskirt of the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, burst early on Friday morning, killing 50 people and flooding hundreds of houses nearby, official said. [Agencies]
Health Ministry Crisis Center chief Rustam Pakaya said at least 50 people were killed and more than 400 houses submerged, some in water 10-feet (nearly three meters) deep.

A 9-year-old girl was found unconscious on one rooftop after the floods receded, but she died on the way to the hospital, said rescuer Toni Suhartono, adding the child's parents and sister were among dozens still missing.

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An investigation will be carried out to see what caused the dam break.

But Wahyu Hartono, a former official at the Ministry of Public Works Ministry, said the 40-foot-high (nearly 15-meter-high) dam has been poorly maintained in recent years because of budget shortfalls. After four hours of heavy rain the spillway overflowed and then the base gave way.

"We need to find a way to take better care of these Dutch-era dams and dikes," he said. "Otherwise, there will be more problems like this in the future."


Residents wait for the rescuers at the flood-hit area in the outskirts of Jakarta, Indonesia, March 27, 2009. [Xinhua]
Seasonal downpours cause dozens of landslides and flash floods each year in Indonesia, a nation of 235 million, where many live in mountainous areas or near fertile plains and Jakarta, home to 12 million, is rarely not immune.

More than 40 people were killed in the capital after rivers burst their banks two years ago. Critics said rampant overdevelopment, poor city planning and clogged drainage canals were partly to blame.