Ruslan Sangadji, The Jakarta Post, Parigi Moutong
Flashfloods hit Parigi Moutong regency in South Sulawesi in the early hours of Sunday, killing two and injuring another, with four more people reported missing.
The waters also damaged hundreds of houses and inundated hundreds of hectares of agricultural land.
The regency administration report that they two dead were Juluhi, 50, and Zulkifli, 45. The injured victim, Amrina, 40, is being treated at Pariku Moutong Hospital.
Missing are Adnan, 45, his wife Arida, 40, and their two children Janrah and Dharma. A landslide is believed to have swamped their home and residents and officials are now searching the area.
Heavy rain stopped the search effort at about noon, with police concerned more flashfloods would hit the area.
"The heavy rainfall forced us to temporarily halt the search and rescue activities," Parigi Moutong Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Muhammad Kilat said.
Parigi Moutong Regent Longky Djanggola said that his officers had evacuated 224 families from Petapa village, where many houses were destroyed by the floods, to safer areas.
"We've evacuated the residents who lost their houses," Longky told The Jakarta Post.
Longky further said that the flashfloods hit five villages, Petapa, Olaya and Baliara in Parigi district, and Lemusa in South Parigi district, as well as Bantaya at Parigi Moutong district.
According to Longky, Sunday's flood was only the second to hit the area and the first since 1973, when six people were killed.
He said he believed the floods were caused by excessive logging in the surrounding forest by local residents bribed by wealthy businessmen.
He said that residents did not know why they should stop felling the trees and it continued because they were paid large amounts of money to do so.
"This is difficult to wipe out," he said.
Longky suggested that regency encourage those involved in illegal logging to stop and invite them to become police themselves.
"As soon as you see people involved in illegal logging, report it to the authorities and we will together catch the perpetrators," he said.
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