Landslide, flooding from dam kill 6 in western Indonesia

Torrential rains that overwhelmed a dam and caused a landslide have killed 6 people and displaced hundreds in the western Indonesian district of Gowa, an official said Wednesday.

The dead included two infants who drowned and a man who was electrocuted after the floods began late Tuesday, said Adnan Purichta Ichsann, the chief of Gowa district in South Sumatra. Rescuers were still evacuating residents to shelters at a government office and mosques, Ichsann said.

“Torrential rain caused a dam to be overwhelmed by water, forcing us to open it to prevent a greater danger. This is what caused flooding in some areas,” Ichsann said.

Deadly landslides and floods are a frequent occurrence during seasonal rains in Indonesia.