917 Flee After Flash Floods in Lombok Timur

Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara, (Antara) - Some 917 people in the district of Sambelia, Lombok Timur, West Nusa Tenggara, have fled for safety after flash floods hit the area on Tuesday evening and night. "They have themselves chosen to evacuate because of the floods since yesterday, and they have now been accommodated in three locations," the province's head of public relations, Tri Budiprayitno, stated here on Wednesday, while accompanying governor Zainul Majdi during a working visit to Lombok Timur district. He pointed out that the people had evacuated themselves to avoid any eventuality. The floods occurred after incessant rains that caused the water in Obol-Obol, Tandongan and Batusela rivers, located at the foot of Mount Rinjani, to overflow. Four bridges and a prayer house have been damaged while three kilometers of roads have been eroded and around 80 hectares of rice and corn fields inundated by the floods. "No information of fatalities has been received so far," he confirmed. Sambellas is located around 130 kilometers from Mataram, the eastern province's capital city. (*)