Floods have killed hundreds of people in Indonesia's Java, and muck has hampered relief efforts

[ASEAN NOW Content Team]

 

Three people are still missing after rescuers discovered a half-dozen bodies in Batu and two additional victims in Malang.

Officials say flash floods caused by torrential rains on Indonesia's major island of Java have killed at least eight people and left three more missing.

Rivers on the slopes of Mount Arjuno spilled their banks on Thursday, flooding five hamlets in Kota Batu, a city in East Java province, according to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency.

 

It was previously reported that 15 individuals were carried away, with five being rescued later.

Six individuals were rescued alive from the wreckage, while rescuers discovered a half-dozen bodies in Batu and two more in Malang.

"We are currently looking for three people who are still missing," said the agency's chairman, Abdul Muhari, in a statement.

Roads were obstructed and coated in thick mud and debris, making relief efforts difficult.

The agency provided photos and videos of a broken bridge, as well as residences and cars engulfed in thick mud.

 

Authorities were still gathering information on the damage and potential casualties, and individuals in affected areas were being evacuated to government shelters.
Muhari remarked.