Indonesia flash floods toll reaches 32

Jakarta, July 17 (IANS) The death toll due to flash floods and landslides in Indonesia's South Sulawesi province has increased to 32 with 15 others still missing, an official said on Friday.The search and rescue operation for the victims of the natural disaster was hampered by poor access to the scene, with the possibilities of more flash floods, an official told Xinhua news agency."Eleven bodies were retrieved by the rescuers on Thursday, putting the total to 32. The rescuers have been on alert for the possibility of more flash floods as the weather is cloudy," he said.Mud and logs on the roads slowed the mobility of 359 rescue personnel to reach the affected areas, according to him.The natural disaster has impacted nearly 5,000 people as their houses were hit by the flash floods, according to the National Disaster Management Agency.As many as 10 houses were swept away by the current waters and 213 others were buried by sand and mud, while a main road was cut off by the waters, the agency noted.
--IANS ksk/