Indonesia: Up to 100 dead in dam collapse

 At least 2,000 people are now staying in four evacuation centres, including universities and government offices, after a dam burst outside Jakarta early on 27 March, killing dozens and leaving scores more missing, officials said.

"We have identified 52 casualties already," Rustam Pakya, head of the Ministry of Health's Crisis Centre, told IRIN in the Indonesian capital. "But I expect the death toll to reach about 100 because many more are still missing."

At least 400 houses in the industrial town of Cirendeu in Tangerang, Banten Province, were reportedly affected by the sudden gush of water following the collapse of a section of the 3m high Situ Gintung dam at about 2am.
 
Priyadi Kardono, head of data and information for the National Disaster Management Agency, told IRIN about eight homes were completely destroyed while the rest were either partially damaged or submerged.
 
He said the collapse happened after three days of rains in the area.

“With about 400 houses affected and an average of five people per house, there are at least 2,000 victims,” Tia Kurnyawan, a disaster response officer from Red Cross Indonesia, told IRIN.

The government and NGOs immediately mobilised search and rescue teams.
 
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono visited the site, while Vice-President Jusuf Kalla and Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Aburizal Bakrie visited the evacuation centres. The government has promised assistance to help rebuild damaged houses.

Photo: Contributor/IRIN

Hundreds of homes were affected and scores of people remain missin

Rustam said the affected people included some from the capital as the 5 sqkm area involved was on the border of Jakarta and Tangerang, a city of about 1.5 million.

According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)  in Jakarta, the government is so far able to provide all the food, shelter and healthcare needs of the evacuees.

“We have enough food and volunteers and medical doctors,” Rustam said. “We are now monitoring to prevent the outbreak of any diseases like diarrhoea.”

Red Cross Indonesia has provided food and medical aid. “Volunteers this morning mobilised to evacuate victims, and provide medical aid and distribute food,” Tia said. “We have set up a public kitchen and we will maintain this for three days.”

Officials did not have an exact numbers of how many people were affected as residents from neighboring areas flocked to the site to see the collapsed wall.
 
Footage from local news stations showed a wide swath of water streaming from Lake Situ Gintung, which, according to Priyadi, was used to supply irrigation water.
 
"The dam is very old, I think it was built by the Dutch," Priyadi said. "This has never happened before." One local news station reported that it was built in 1933.
 
The president reportedly said the dam would be rebuilt but different construction methods would be considered.