Jakarta, April 5 2021: According to official estimates on Monday, flash flooding and land slides in the Indonesian archipelago and neighbouring East Timor has led to deaths of more than 70 people while the whereabouts of dozens still remain unknown.

According to Indonesian disaster management agency’s statement, the number of confirmed dead in the country are 55 and 42 appear to be missing. This statement was made by spokesman Raditya Djati on local broadcaster MetroTV. He said the number is dynamic and it is feared this will most likely grow with time.

While in East Timor, at least 16 people have died, according to an official in the tiny half-island nation that lies between Indonesia and Australia.

Thousand of people between Flores, in Indonesia up to East Timor, were forced to flee homes and take refuge in shelters after floods sparked by torrential rain wreaked havoc and destruction on the islands.

The disaster was caused by a ceaseless deluge of rainfall and the resulting landslides that made dams to overflow, leaving houses submerged in its wake and survivors marooned all over. The South East Asian archipelago is notoriously vulnerable to fatal landslides and flash floods that are common place during the rainy season.

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