JAKARTA, Feb 1, 2008 (AFP) - Ten people died in two landslides on separate Indonesian islands, with unknown numbers of victims also buried alive, officials said Friday. Eight people were killed in Aceh province on Sumatra island, health ministry official Rustam Pakaya told AFP, adding that one person is still reported missing.
A landslide in Sulawesi's Gorontalo province claimed two lives, Pakaya earlier told AFP, though it is feared the bodycount could rise. "More people are buried but access is difficult, our teams are still working on digging out the victims," Pakaya said. The landslide in Gorontalo follows flooding there and in the neighbouring province of Central Sulawesi, Pakaya said. In Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta International Airport was closed since mid-morning Friday following heavy rain in the capital and surrounding areas starting Thursday evening. Several domestic flights heading to the capital had to turn back after the airport was closed, airport manager Haryanto told Elshinta radio. At least one international flight was returned to its originating airport, a passenger told AFP. "Our plane was already above Jakarta but had to return back to Changi. The pilot said Jakarta's airport was closed," Singapore Airlines passenger Lizar Alfansi told AFP from Singapore. He said the flight would depart for Jakarta again later Friday. Meanwhile, floods that killed three people and injured more than a dozen in the main island of Java this week have receded, Pakaya said.
Officials said Thursday that more than 10,000 houses in 30 villages were flooded after heavy rain that began Wednesday. Landslides and flooding are common in Indonesia during the rainy season, which hits its peak from December to February. Torrential rains across parts of Java at the start of January triggered landslides and floods that killed more than 100 people and displaced tens of thousands.
nsh/pst