05:30 GMT, 12.30 WIB, Saturday, 28 March 2009
Indonesian dam burst toll rises
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/low/asia-pacific/7969397.stmAt least 77 people are now known to have been killed when a dam burst near the Indonesian capital, Jakarta.
Rescue workers have resumed searching for more than 100 people feared missing after about 400 homes were deluged in the Tangerang district early on Friday.
Visiting the scene, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono promised to help families reconstruct their homes and pledged to rebuild the dam.
Residents likened the onrush of water to the impact of a tsunami.
Torrents of water mixed with boulders and debris crashed through a 70m (230ft) gash in the dam, sweeping away buildings in the Cirendeu suburb.
"We will design the new structure in a proper way so that it will not cause any further public concern"
- Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Indonesian president
The deluge destroyed hastily erected flimsy wooden houses as well as more solid concrete buildings.
Local police chief Ngisa Asngari told the Associated Press on Saturday that hundreds of soldiers, police and volunteers were continuing to dig through piles of mud and debris, searching for survivors or bodies.
The BBC's Katherine Demopoulos in Jakarta says funerals for many of the dead have already been held.
In Islamic practice the dead are supposed to be buried by sunset on the day they died.
Maintenance questions
The Situ Gintung dam, which stood 16m high and held back a lake of two million cubic metres of water, was built out of dirt by Dutch colonialists in 1933.
In pictures: Dam burst
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/low/in_pictures/7967237.stmDam burst felt 'like tsunami hit'
Experts told the BBC that little maintenance had been carried out on the dam since then, and warned that many dams in Indonesia are in a similar state.
The Jakarta Globe newspaper reported that Cirendeu residents had spotted cracks in the dam a year ago.
They were so fearful of a flood that they had even practised evacuation drills, the newspaper reported.
But following hours of heavy rain during Thursday evening, the dam burst at 0200 (1900 GMT Thursday) when most people were asleep.
Our correspondent says the city has an ageing, poorly maintained drainage system which struggles to cope with heavy rainfall.
Inquiry promised
After touring the disaster site, Mr Yudhoyono told Indonesia's Antara news agency the dam "must be rebuilt".
SITU GINTUNG DAM
* Made from compacted earth
* Built in 1933 under Dutch colonial rule
* Surrounded man-made lake on south-west edge of Jakarta
* Thought to have released two million cubic metres of water
"We will design the new structure in a proper way so that it will not cause any further public concern," he said.
"The government will help residents reconstruct their damaged houses," Mr Yudhoyono said.
The government promised millions of dollars in cash aid for the victims.
Local officials have promised to investigate the cause of the disaster.
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Korban Tewas Situ Gintung 80 Orang
Sabtu, 28 Maret 2009 | 16:29 WIB
http://megapolitan.kompas.com/read/xml/2009/03/28/1629536/Korban.Tewas.Situ.Gintung.80.OrangJAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - Hingga Sabtu ( 28/3) sore ini jumlah korban meninggal dalam bencana jebolnya tanggul Danau Situ Gintung sebanyak 80 orang. 70 orang sudah dapat dievakuasi sedangkan 10 orang belum dikenali.
Sedangkan korban yang dilaporkan hilang, semula berjumlah 109, sekarang berkurang karena lima orang telah ditemukan. " Jadi jumlah korban hilang menjadi 102, " terang Rahmat, ketua koordinator posko UMJ.
Saat ini korban-korban meninggal ditempatkan di Posko UMJ, karena posko STIE Ahmad Dahlan dijadikan posko logistik.
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How can I help?
There are many ways to help, but this is one way I know of:
Rumah Zakat Indonesia
http://www.rumahzakat.org/ (Bahasa Indonesia) atau
http://www.rumahzakat.org/english/index.php (Bahasa Inggris)
http://www.rumahzakat.org/detail.php?id=5094&kd=B
Situ Gintung adalah bendungan yang terletak di Cireundeu, Ciputat, Tangerang Selatan dan sudah berumur lebih dari 76 tahun. Pada sekitar jam 4:45am tanggal 27 maret bendungan situ Gingung jebol dan kabar terakhir memakan korban lebih dari 80 orang.
