Four people died as Indonesia’s capital was hit by flooding, a disaster agency official said Wednesday, while local media reported landslides sparked by torrential rain on New Year’s Eve had killed several more residents. Electricity was switched off in hundreds of waterlogged neighbourhoods across Jakarta, home to about 30 million, with some train lines and one of the city’s airports also shut. A 16-year-old was electrocuted by a power line, while three more people died of hypothermia, said Jakarta disaster management agency head Subejo. Flights were cancelled at Halim Perdanakusuma airport, which handles commercial and military planes, due to severe flooding on its runways, according to the transport ministry. Jakarta is regularly hit by flooding during Indonesia’s rainy season, which started in late November.

Source: Punch January 01, 2020 08:37 UTC