Floods in Indonesia’s Bali kill at least nine, officials say

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JAKARTA (Reuters) – Floods on Indonesia’s holiday island of Bali have killed at least nine this week and affected 600 people, blocking off major roads in the capital and disrupting a busy travel destination, officials said on Wednesday.

Continuous heavy rains between Tuesday evening and Wednesday caused the floods and killed five people in Bali’s capital Denpasar, Abdul Muhari, the spokesperson of the country’s disaster mitigation agency said in a statement.

Four more people were killed in the regions of Jembrana, Gianyar, and Badung, Abdul added. Two people were still missing.

Out of 600 people affected, nearly 200 have been evacuated to schools and mosques because their houses were still flooded, the agency said.

The floods brought down two buildings in Denpasar, said I Nyoman Sidakarya, the head of the island’s search and rescue agency.

Access to the island’s international airport near Denpasar was limited as only trucks could use the roads, he added.

Videos on social media, which Reuters could not authenticate, showed floods on major roads leading to complete gridlock.

About 200 rescuers have been dispatched, Nyoman said.

Heavy rain also led to flooding in Indonesia’s East Nusa Tenggara where four people have been killed, the disaster mitigation agency said.

Indonesian president Prabowo Subianto expressed his condolences and instructed the head of national disaster agency to fly to Bali to lead the emergency response and ensure people’s basic needs are met.

The agency had distributed tents, food, blankets, mattresses, water pumps, and rubber boats.

(Reporting by Stanley Widianto and Ananda Teresia; Editing by Saad Sayeed, Alexandra Hudson)