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Flash floods kill 13 villagers in Indonesia

Tuesday, 02 May 2017 5:07 PM [ Last Update: Tuesday, 02 May 2017 5:08 PM ]

Floods in Magelang, Indonesia, March 2016 (Photo by BNPB)

Thirteen people have died in flash floods that inundated five villages on Indonesia's main Java Island, rescuers said Tuesday.

Torrential rain last week triggered flooding Saturday in the villages in the Central Java district of Magelang.

The chief of the local Disaster Management Agency, Edi Susanto, said the body of an 80-year-old man was retrieved Tuesday, bringing the death toll to 13. Two other villagers were seriously injured.

A total of 71 houses were damaged in the floods, forcing about 50 families to take shelter in mosques and relatives' houses.

Floods in Magelang, Indonesia, March 2016 (Photo by BNPB)

About 1,500 rescuers, including soldiers, police and volunteers took part in the search operation.

Indonesia, the world's largest archipelagic nation, is prone to landslides during seasonal rains. Many of the country's 256 million people live in mountainous areas or on fertile, flood-prone plains near rivers.

Last month a landslide in neighboring East Java province buried 28 villagers. Only six bodies have been retrieved so far.

(Source: AP)

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