Flooding kills five in greater Jakarta, waters recede

The death toll from floods that hit the Indonesian capital Jakarta and its surrounding areas has risen to five, officials said Wednesday, as waters receded in many inundated areas.

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Nearly 10,000 people were displaced after floods submerged homes in Jakarta on Tuesday following heavy downpours, according to the National Disaster Management Agency.

In Karawang, a district in West Java province, flooding inundated more than 15,000 homes. 

At least five people were killed mostly by drowning and electrocution in Jakarta and its satellite towns, the agency said. 

Water has largely receded in central Jakarta and municipal workers were seen cleaning up the mud left by the flood, but officials warned that more heavy rain was expected until next month. 

Floods and landslides are common in Indonesia during the rainy season. 

A flash flood swept away nearly 250 student scouts who were hiking along a river near the city of Yogyakarta in central Java over the weekend, killing 10 of them. 

At least 66 people were killed in flooding that hit Jakarta and its satellite towns in January. (dpa)