6 dead in Argentina floods; 3 dead, 5 missing in Indonesia landslides

6 dead in Argentina floods; 3 dead, 5 missing in Indonesia landslides
by AFP Staff Writers
Buenos Aires (AFP) Mar 7, 2025

Six people died and hundreds were evacuated in the Argentine port city of Bahia Blanca Friday as torrential rains flooded homes and hospitals, destroyed roads and forced authorities to cut the power.

Eight hours of nonstop rain left the city of 350,000 people largely under water, and forced authorities to evacuate the Jose Penna hospital.

Television images showed medical personnel evacuating babies from the hospital's neonatal unit, and the army was deployed to assist in rescue efforts.

Some 1,000 people were evacuated to safety in the city about 600 kilometers (about 375 miles) south of the capital Buenos Aires.

Municipal officials said six people were confirmed to have died, but the toll could still rise.

The city received more than 400 millimeters of rain in just hours -- equivalent to what it normally gets in a year, "something unprecedented," according to Javier Alonso, security minister for the Buenos Aires province.

"The biggest storm in Bahia Blanca was in 1930, with 175 millimeters. This is almost three times bigger," said Alonso.

Bahia Blanca's airport was closed until further notice, and officials cut off part of the power supply to reduce the risk of electric shocks.

The provincial government said it was sending helicopters, canoes, ambulances and trucks bearing food, water and equipment to the stricken city.

The coast guard was assisting in the rescue with inflatable boats.

"It was raining, and suddenly we saw the street was flooded. About a meter-and-a-half of water came into my house," Flavia Viera Romero, who rescued her children from the deluge, told the LN+ channel.

The city remains on alert from the meteorological service for new storms.

Three dead, five missing in Indonesia floods and landslides
Jakarta (AFP) Mar 7, 2025 - Floods and landslides on Indonesia's main island of Java killed three people and left five more missing after heavy rains inundated two dozen towns, an official said Friday.

Torrential rains this week hit capital Jakarta and its surrounding cities, forcing thousands of residents to evacuate and authorities to use weather modification technology.

But the bad weather carried on in neighbouring West Java province Thursday, hitting most parts of its Sukabumi district, damaging houses and flooding hundreds of public facilities including schools and hospitals.

At least three people, including a child, were found dead, and five people in two separate districts were still missing, according to the local disaster agency.

"The disaster was caused by extreme weather and torrential rain with high intensity that lasted for a long time," agency spokesperson Andrie Setiawan told AFP.

At least 24 towns in the district were affected by flooding and landslides, he said, adding more than 200 people had to evacuate to higher ground.

Indonesia is prone to landslides during the rainy season, typically between November and April.

Climate change has also increased the intensity of storms, leading to heavier rains, flash floods and stronger gusts.

In January, at least 25 people died after floods and landslides hit a town in Central Java.

Around 70 people died in May last year after heavy rains caused flash floods in West Sumatra, pushing a mixture of ash, sand and pebbles from the eruption of Mount Marapi into residential areas.