Toll in Indonesia floods rises to 23

Bangkok, Sept 22:  The toll in the floods and landslides caused by heavy rains on Indonesia’s Java province rose to 23 on Thursday, the authorities said. tiol disaster agency spokesperson Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said in a statement that rescue teams have resumed their search for at least 18 more missing persons, EFE news reported. Agency head Willem Rampangilei said around 433 persons were placed in temporary shelters. The floods occurred in seven districts of Garut in western Java in central Indonesia on Tuesday, when the river Cikamuri recorded a rise between 1.5 and 2 meters in its water levels. The agency also warned continued heavy rainfall and attributed the heavier than normal rains, for this time of the year, to the La Ni, a coupled ocean-atmosphere phenomenon. Indonesia is prone to flooding and landslides every year during the rainy season that peaks between December and February. (IANS)