Indonesia dam disaster: Thousands forced to flee after overflow kills at least 30

Rescue teams search for further 25 people who went missing after heavy rain triggered flash flooding and landslides

Residents evacuate their homes in Makassar, Indonesia, after heavy rain and strong winds pounded the southern part of Sulawesi island, swelling rivers that burst their banks. (AFP/Getty Images)

An overflowing dam has killed at least 30 people in Indonesia and forced thousands to flee their homes, authorities have said.

Another 25 are missing after floodwaters over a metre high inundated riverside settlements in South Sulawest province, including in the provincial capital Makassar on Wednesday and Thursday.

Amond the dead are two infants who drowned and a man who was electrocuted after the floods began late on Tuesday, according to Adnan Purichta Ichsann, the chief of Gowa district.

He said the death toll could rise as areas hit by landslides are waiting for heavy earth-moving equipment to join the search effort.

Indonesia’s disaster mitigation agency has set up temporary shelters and field kitchens after more than 3,000 people were forced to flee their homes.

The operators of the Bili Bili rock-filled embankment dam were forced to release water on Tuesday, which contributed to flooding but avoided a worse disaster, said Mr Ichsann.

South Sulawesi Governor Nurdin Abdullah told local media that siltation of the dam and deforestation of the upstream watershed had worsened the floods.

The head of the provincial disaster agency, who goes by the single name Syamsibar, said the amount of rainfall was declining on Thursday and that the dam’s water level had dropped by about two metres.

Aerial images show muddy brown water covering swathes of land and rushing water washing away houses and debris in some areas.

Residents evacuate their homes in Makassar, Indonesia, as heavy rain and strong winds cause flash flooding. (AFP/Getty Images)

Several bridges have been damaged and power has been cut to the district.

A helicopter has had to be used to deliver aid after one major highway became blocked, according to local media.

An agency official named Hasriadi added: “So far we have found 30 people who drowned or were caught in landslides triggered by heavy rains and when the Bili-Bili dam started overflowing.”

Deadly landslides and floods are a frequent occurrence during seasonal rains in Indonesia, an archipelago of over 17,000 islands, with man-made changes to the environment often worsening the situation.

A landslide in Sukabumi, on the country’s most populous island of Java, earlier this month killed 32 people.

Hundreds of people were killed and many more injured after a tsunami hit western Java and southern Sumatra islands following a volcanic eruption.

More than 600 homes, many hotels and vendor stalls, and more than 400 boats and ships were also damaged.

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