12 killed as landslides hit 3 Bali villages

Residents of a village destroyed by the landslides search for their belongings. Several houses were also buried in the incident. Local disaster agency officials said villagers have been evacuated from the affected areas, which are far from the popula
Residents of a village destroyed by the landslides search for their belongings. Several houses were also buried in the incident. Local disaster agency officials said villagers have been evacuated from the affected areas, which are far from the popular beach resorts in the southern part of Bali. PHOTO: EUROPEAN PRESSPHOTO AGENCY

JAKARTA • Twelve Indonesians, including three children, have been killed on the holiday island of Bali after landslides triggered by heavy rain engulfed several villages, an official said yesterday.

Several houses were also buried and badly damaged in the incident, which took place overnight from Thursday to yesterday in the Kintamani district in central Bali.

"The extreme rain that occurred all day on Thursday has triggered landslides in three villages and 12 people have died," disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said.

Three children, aged one, seven and 10, died in two of the villages. Five people were injured, three of them seriously.

Local disaster agency officials said villagers had been evacuated from the affected areas, which are far from the popular beach resorts in the south of the island, and no one else was believed to be missing.

Landslides and flooding are common in Indonesia, particularly during the months-long rainy season which peaks in January and February.

Last December, 29 people died and 19 others went missing when floods and landslides hit Garut in the western part of Java.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on February 11, 2017, with the headline 12 killed as landslides hit 3 Bali villages. Subscribe