Bali (AsiaNews) - Severe flooding has hit several areas of Bali, causing several casualties and prompting the government to declare a state of emergency due to natural disaster. According to the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), over 200 families, or 620 people, have been affected by the heavy rains that began on 9 September. Six regions have been severely damaged: the capital city of Denpasar and the regencies of Jembrana, Gianyar, Klungkung, Badung and Tabanan.
‘The floods in Denpasar and surrounding areas have caused significant damage to buildings and casualties,’ said police spokesman Ariasandy. The provisional death toll is 14, but two other people are missing. No foreign tourists are reported to be involved.
One of the victims, Endang Cafyaning Ayu (42), was swept away in Kerobokan, in the regency of Badung. She and her husband were trapped in their car when the Tukad Yeh Poh river overflowed. Her husband survived, but Ayu's body was found at a villa construction site two kilometres away.
Another victim, Nita Kumalasari (23), who was two months pregnant, drowned in the village of Pengambengan, Jembrana. Her body was recovered by the local population. In another incident, I Komang Oka Sudiastawa (38) from Dangintukaya, also in Jembrana, was electrocuted while opening the flooded gate of his home. A faulty electrical cable is suspected to have been the cause.
The head of the National Disaster Management Agency, Lieutenant General Suharyanto, has declared a week-long state of emergency for Bali.
