Tropical cyclone kills 76, displays thousands in Indonesia, East Timor

Tropical cyclone kills 76, displays thousands in Indonesia, East Timor

Tropical cyclone kills 76, displays thousands in Indonesia, East Timor

Jakarta : Floods and landslides caused by a tropical cyclone in the Seroja island of southeastern Indonesia and East Timor have killed at least 76 people and left thousands homeless, officials said Monday.

Fifty-five people have died and 40 are missing in Indonesia's East Nusa Tenggara province, after a typhoon brought severe floods, landslides and strong winds amid heavy rains since the weekend, BNPB said.

More than 400 people were evacuated and thousands more were affected, he said.

In East Timor, which shares the island of Timor with Indonesia, 21 people have been killed by landslides, floods and falling trees, mostly in the capital Dili.

More than 1,500 people have been evacuated, Ismael da Costa Babo, director-general of public safety, told reporters.

Tropical cyclone kills 76, displays thousands in Indonesia, East Timor

Tropical cyclone kills 76, displays thousands in Indonesia, East Timor

Several bridges collapsed, trees collapsed and blocked some roads in Indonesia and at least one ship sank in the storms, making it difficult to work and sew, says the BNPB.

Agustinus Payong Boli, Deputy Head of Government of East Flores, said rescuers had stopped the evacuation because the storm was still going on and they needed heavy equipment.

In Lembata, where at least 20 people have died, authorities fear the bodies have been washed away.

"We use rubber boats to find bodies at sea. In several villages, floods hit people while they were asleep," Thomas Ola Langoday, Lembata's deputy provincial government chief, told Reuters by telephone.

President Joko Widodo conveyed his condolences and urged residents to follow the instructions from stadium officials during the worst weather.

"I have directed that disaster relief efforts be carried out expeditiously and efficiently," he said.

Hurricane Seroja hit the Savu River off the southwest side of the island of Timor in the early hours of Monday morning, Indonesian weather forecasters said.

In the next 24 hours, the force of the storm could intensify, bringing heavy rainfall, waves and winds, even though it came from Indonesia, the organization said. Reuters