Eleven dead as floods swamp central Jakarta

JAKARTA: Floods in Indonesia's capital Jakarta have left at least 11 people dead, authorities said Friday as murky brown waters submerged parts of the city's business district, causing chaos for a second day.

The capital’s worst floods in five years have also forced 18,000 people from their homes, the nation’s disaster agency said, with many ferried to temporary shelters on rafts. “Floods are occurring still and since Jan 15, 11 people have died, five of which from electrocution,” said National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho. Among the dead were two children aged two and 13, said Nugroho, adding that although waters were receding eight per cent of the capital was still inundated and a city-wide state of emergency would apply until Jan 27. The flooding caused chaos in Jakarta’s upmarket downtown district, causing hours-long traffic jams as motorists struggled to get to work along canal-like streets. Drivers could be seen standing miserably in raincoats, waiting for their flooded cars to be towed away. Other vehicles lay abandoned by the side of the road. At the landmark Hotel Indonesia traffic circle, surrounded by office towers, five-star hotels and shopping centres, the brown floodwaters continued to swirl, forcing the nearby British, German and French embassies to remain shut. The central business district normally escapes damage in the Indonesia’s monsoonal rains but it was hit by waist-high water Thursday, forcing some commuters to wade their way to work holding bags aloft. Jakarta, home to 20 million people, is notorious for its traffic-clogged streets, but the floods brought a new dimension to the commute. “It took me two hours to get to work,” said Shinta Maharani, whose home is just seven kilometres from her office. “I had to abandon the motorbike taxi and walk for 40 minutes because the road ahead was submerged.” Many train and bus routes serving the city centre were also suspended. “The government is trying to keep doing emergency mitigation efforts,” the disaster agency spokesman said. The floods were the worst to hit the capital since 2007, when about 50 people were killed and more than 300,000 were displaced. Even the presidential palace was inundated by the waters, with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono pictured in the grounds Thursday in rolled-up trousers as he ordered officials to ensure public safety. Authorities raised the flood alert to its highest level Thursday, warning that the torrential rains would not subside until the end of the week. Indonesia is regularly afflicted by deadly floods and landslides during its wet season, which lasts around half the year, and many in the capital live beside rivers which periodically overflow. http://rtilive.pk/detail/9603 Right to Information Pakistan Live, RTI Live, Information Pakistan, RTI online Research ORganization,breaking news pakistan,current news about pakistan,current news from pakistan,current news of pakistan,current news on pakistan,current news pakistan,google news pakistan,hot news of pakistan,karachi pakistan news,latest news about pakistan,latest news from pakistan,latest news in pakistan,latest news of pakistan,latest news on pakistan,latest news pakistan,latest news pakistan urdu,latest pakistan news,live news pakistan,news about pakistan,news from pakistan,news in pakistan,news of pakistan,news on pakistan,news pakistan,news pakistan latest,pakistan current news,pakistan flood news,pakistan floods news,pakistan karachi news,pakistan latest news,pakistan latest news online,pakistan live news,pakistan new news,pakistan news,pakistan news channel,pakistan news lahore,pakistan news latest,pakistan news live,pakistan news online,pakistan news paper,pakistan news papers,pakistan news service,pakistan news today,pakistan news tv,pakistan news urdu,pakistan news english,pakistan news video,pakistan political news,pakistan top news,pakistan urdu news,pakistan english news,pakistan world news,todaynews of pakistan,rti news of pakistan,rtilive news of pakistan,top news of pakistan,urdu news pakistan,english news pakistan,urdu pakistan news,english pakistan news,world news pakistan,www pakistan urdu news,www pakistan english news,www rtilive pk news,yahoo pakistan news,action news,breaking news,business news, current news,daily news,e news,entertainment news,google news,headline news,india news,pakistan news,international news,it news,latest news,live news,lacal news,national news,new news,news,news channel,news channels,news entertainment,news for kids,news for today,news live,news of the day,news of the world,news of today,news of world,news paper,news papers,news today,news video,news weather,online news,recent news,science news,news the,today news,top news,weather news,world news,news yahoo,yahoo news,floods swamp central Jakarta,Floods in Indonesia, National Disaster Mitigation Agency, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho,