A Dam Burst in Situ Gintung Area, Ciputat, South Tangerang

Innalillahi wa inailaihi rojiun....

Dozens of others were missing after the dam burst overnight while people were asleep, giving them little chance to flee a wall of water that came crashing into low-lying homes and that residents compared to a tsunami.

Houses and concrete buildings were flattened and buckled by the force of the water, which left many survivors in the Jakarta suburb of Cireundeu trapped on rooftops waiting to be rescued...

More info from : http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2009/03/27/dam-burst-death-toll-raises-20.html

Dam burst death toll raises to 20

The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Fri, 03/27/2009 10:16 AM | Jakarta

A dam burst in Cirendeu, Ciputat, South Tangerang on the outskirts of Jakarta, before dawn Friday, sending a flash flood into a crowded residential neighborhood, submerging hundreds of houses and killing at least 20 people, officials said.

A wave of water crashed into around 400 homes in the industrial area of Tangerang at around 2.00 a.m., said Health Ministry Crisis Center chief Rustam Pakaya. Floodwaters were up to 2.5 meters deep is some areas, police and witnesses said.

Pakaya said 20 bodies had been recovered by rescue teams, but that he expected the death toll to climb because residents were sleeping when the disaster happened. At least a dozen others were reportedly missing.

Antara news agency reporte that search and rescue officers were still working to rescue residents being trapped in their submerged houses. The survivors were evacuated to higher grounds at the nearby Muhammadiyah University of Jakarta.

It was unclear what caused the failure of the 10-meter-high dam, which was holding back around 2 million cubic meters of water at the Pesanggrahan river, according to South Jakarta Police chief Makmur Simbolon.

A rescue worker identified only as Toni, told El Shinta radio another 19 people were being treated at nearby hospitals.

"A flash flood came suddenly and was horrifying," said Seto Mulyadi, whose car was washed nearly 300 feet (100 meters) from his driveway into a public park, as quoted by The Associated Press. "My house in a dreadful mess ... Thank God my family is safe."

Mulyadi said he heard a siren sound at the dam before the water smashed out all the windows and doors and inundated his home in 2.5 meters of water. He said his wife and four children were all sleep upstairs and were unharmed.

and updated info from: http://megapolitan.kompas.com/read/xml/2009/03/27/14120454/Jumlah.Korban.Situ.Gintung.Sudah.45.Orang

Jumlah Korban Situ Gintung Sudah 45 Orang

Jumat, 27 Maret 2009 | 14:12 WIB

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com- Sampai dengan pukul 14.00 tadi, jumlah korban jiwa yang meninggal dalam bencana Situ Gintung berjumlah 47 orang. Data ini dihimpun dari Posko STIE Ahmad Dahlan dan Universitas Muhammadiyah Jakarta, serta dua orang meninggal di RS Fatmawati.

Korban di STIE Ahmad Dahlan mencapai 14 orang dan Posko UMJ 31 orang, sedangkan 2 korban meninggal di RS Fatmawati yakni Ari Wibowo dan Indah (7).

Demikian disampaikan Koordinator Informasi Posko STIE Ahmad Dahlan Agus Rama Dani kepada wartawan di Posko STIE Ahmad Dahlan, Ciputat, Juamt (27/3) siang ini.

"Pencarian korban masih terus dilakukan, saat ini korban meninggal di kedua posko, UMJ dan STIE telah dipindah ke RS Fatmawati," ujar Agus.

Menurut Agus, korban banyak ditemukan di reruntuhan rumah, tumpukan sampah, dan tersangkut di pohon-pohon. "Karena dari titik jebolnya tanggul Situ Gintung ke kelurahan Cirendeuh itu sekitar 4-5 kilometer, maka korban itu tersebar, bahkan tadi ada informasi yang hanyut sampai di Jakarta Selatan," ujarnya.

Selain korban meninggal di STIE Ahmad Dahlan ada korban luka 33 orang, yang saat ini dirawat oleh tenaga medis yang ada. Menteri Kesehatan Siti Fadilah Supari juga baru saja mengunjungi korban selamat di STIE Ahmad Dahlan.