Floods Inundate Four Villages in Sampang, Madura Island

Sampang, East Java (Antara) - Floods have submerged four villages in the Jrengik Subdistrict, Sampang District, Madura Island, East Java Province, following incessant heavy rains since Monday. The flood-affected villages are Taman, Penyepen, Majengan, and Margantoko, stated Wisno Hartono, head of the Sampang disaster mitigation office (BPBD). Hundreds of houses and a number of roads have been inundated by floodwaters reaching a height of up to one meter in the four villages. The Nyiburan River in Sampang overflowed as a result of heavy downpours. Hundreds of hectares of farmlands in the district have also been flooded. Meanwhile, in the Jombang District, also East Java, at least seven people were killed in a landslide in the Kopen Hamlet, Ngrimbi Village. "The latest casualty was a man named Lilik (35)," Gunadi of the Jombang BPBD chapter claimed here on Tuesday. He was found buried under the rubble from the landslide, Gunadi noted. The discovery of the latest victim brings the total death toll due to landslide to seven. The rescuers had previously uncovered the bodies of Khoirotun Nisak (20), Istanto (25), M. Sodik (30), Rokhimah (40), Sariyaji (50), and Baharudin. Sariyaji and Rokhimah were a married couple. Teams of rescue workers comprising personnel from the military, SAR operatives, and local residents are still involved in the search operations for the other missing victims. In the incident, 14 people were believed to have been buried under the rubble that slid down the hill behind their homes as a result of the torrential rains and engulfed the houses. Five people survived the disaster. (*)