Flash flood kills 15 people in Indonesia's Aceh

[senorpepr]

BANDA ACEH, Indonesia (AFP) - Flash floods swept through three villages in the tsunami-stricken Indonesian province of Aceh, leaving 15 people dead and five missing, residents and officials said.

The floods, which destroyed about 490 homes in the village of Lawe Mengkudu in southeastern Aceh late Tuesday, were caused when a river burst its banks after a day of heavy rain.

By 6:00 pm Wednesday rescue workers had recovered 15 bodies, Southeast Aceh district chief Armen Desky said.

"The flood actually hit three villages in the area but all of the victims came only from two of them," Desky told AFP.

The search for the five missing was suspended when darkness fell but would resume on Thursday, he said.

A local policeman said earlier that about 18 people were injured.

Many people were asleep when the river surged, residents said.

"The water came very fast but after about 30 minutes it had already subsided," said Sahdidun Beuh, a Lawe Mengkudu resident speaking by telephone.

"When the water came, people panicked. Many were shouting 'help' and it was pitch dark," Beuh said.

He said he saw a three-meter (10-foot) wall of water travelling at high speed towards the village.

Aceh was hardest hit by the December earthquake and tsunamis that killed over 220,000 people and caused widespread destruction.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20050427/sc ... MlJVRPUCUl

[TexasStooge]

Oh, dear!