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Photos: Indonesian rescuers hunt for missing after 53 killed in floods

Jakarta is regularly hit by floods during the rainy season, which started in late November. But Jakarta's myriad infrastructure problems, including poor drainage and rampant overdevelopment, worsened the situation this year with record rains that started on New Year's Eve battering the capital and leaving swathes of the megalopolis underwater and thousands homeless. Indonesian President Joko Widodo has announced a plan to move the country's capital to Borneo island to take pressure off Jakarta, which suffers from some of the world's worst traffic jams and is fast sinking due to excessive groundwater extraction.

Updated on: Jan 04, 2020 3:24 PM IST

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1/11

A woman looks at her belongings, sitting outside her house at a flooded residential area in Bekasi, West Java province, Indonesia. Rescuers mounted a renewed search on Friday for those missing after torrential rains unleashed flash floods and landslides, killing at least 53 people across the Jakarta region as authorities raced to prevent disease outbreaks. (Willy Kurniawan / REUTERS)

Updated on Jan 04, 2020 3:24 PM

A woman looks at her belongings, sitting outside her house at a flooded residential area in Bekasi, West Java province, Indonesia. Rescuers mounted a renewed search on Friday for those missing after torrential rains unleashed flash floods and landslides, killing at least 53 people across the Jakarta region as authorities raced to prevent disease outbreaks. (Willy Kurniawan / REUTERS)

2/11

A woman rides a tricycle on a flooded street in Jakarta. Around a dozen people are still unaccounted for after record rains that started on New Year’s Eve pounded the capital and left swathes of the megalopolis -- home to some 30 million -- underwater and thousands homeless. (Dita Alangkara / AP)

Updated on Jan 04, 2020 3:24 PM

A woman rides a tricycle on a flooded street in Jakarta. Around a dozen people are still unaccounted for after record rains that started on New Year’s Eve pounded the capital and left swathes of the megalopolis -- home to some 30 million -- underwater and thousands homeless. (Dita Alangkara / AP)

3/11

Aerial picture of an area affected by floods, next to Ciliwung river in Jakarta. Around 192,000 have been evacuated to temporary shelters, according to authorities, with many unable to return to their homes in waterlogged neighbourhoods. “We’re encouraging people whose houses are still inundated to go to a safer place,” National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman Agus Wibowo told AFP. (Nova Wahyudi / Antara Foto via REUTERS)

Updated on Jan 04, 2020 3:24 PM

Aerial picture of an area affected by floods, next to Ciliwung river in Jakarta. Around 192,000 have been evacuated to temporary shelters, according to authorities, with many unable to return to their homes in waterlogged neighbourhoods. “We’re encouraging people whose houses are still inundated to go to a safer place,” National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman Agus Wibowo told AFP. (Nova Wahyudi / Antara Foto via REUTERS)

4/11

Waters have receded in many areas and power is being restored after being cut off in many districts. In hard-hit Bekasi, on the outskirts of Jakarta, swampy streets were littered with debris and crushed cars lying on top of each other -- with waterline marks reaching as high as the second floors of buildings. (Risky Andrianto / Antara Foto via REUTERS)

Updated on Jan 04, 2020 3:24 PM

Waters have receded in many areas and power is being restored after being cut off in many districts. In hard-hit Bekasi, on the outskirts of Jakarta, swampy streets were littered with debris and crushed cars lying on top of each other -- with waterline marks reaching as high as the second floors of buildings. (Risky Andrianto / Antara Foto via REUTERS)

5/11

People queue up to receive food at an aid distribution point for those affected by the floods in Jakarta, Indonesia, Saturday, Jan. 4, 2020. Monsoon rains and rising rivers submerged parts of greater Jakarta and caused landslides in Bogor and Depok districts on the city's outskirts as well as in neighbouring Lebak, which buried a number of people. (Dita Alangkara / AP)

Updated on Jan 04, 2020 3:24 PM

People queue up to receive food at an aid distribution point for those affected by the floods in Jakarta, Indonesia, Saturday, Jan. 4, 2020. Monsoon rains and rising rivers submerged parts of greater Jakarta and caused landslides in Bogor and Depok districts on the city's outskirts as well as in neighbouring Lebak, which buried a number of people. (Dita Alangkara / AP)

6/11

The government said Friday it would start cloud seeding to the west of the capital -- inducing rain using chemicals sprayed from planes -- to prevent approaching rainfall from pounding the region. Using inflatable boats to evacuate residents trapped in their homes, including children and seniors, rescuers said they were targeting the hardest-hit areas of the nation’s capital on Friday. (Sammy / AFP)

Updated on Jan 04, 2020 3:24 PM

The government said Friday it would start cloud seeding to the west of the capital -- inducing rain using chemicals sprayed from planes -- to prevent approaching rainfall from pounding the region. Using inflatable boats to evacuate residents trapped in their homes, including children and seniors, rescuers said they were targeting the hardest-hit areas of the nation’s capital on Friday. (Sammy / AFP)

7/11

Displaced people at a temporary shelter in Jakarta. Shelters have filled up with refugees, including infants, resting on thin mats as food and drinking water run low. “It’s impossible for me to go back to my home,” 72-year-old Lumongga Siregar told AFP. “We have no clean water right now... and we’re hoping for more food because there isn’t much.” (Ajeng Dinar Ulfiana / REUTERS)

Updated on Jan 04, 2020 3:24 PM

Displaced people at a temporary shelter in Jakarta. Shelters have filled up with refugees, including infants, resting on thin mats as food and drinking water run low. “It’s impossible for me to go back to my home,” 72-year-old Lumongga Siregar told AFP. “We have no clean water right now... and we’re hoping for more food because there isn’t much.” (Ajeng Dinar Ulfiana / REUTERS)

8/11

Flood-affected residents receive medical assistance in Jakarta. The health ministry deployed some 11,000 health workers and soldiers to distribute medicine, disinfectant hygiene kits and food in a bid to stave off outbreaks of Hepatitis A, mosquito-borne Dengue fever and other illnesses, including infections linked to contact with dead animals. (Bay Ismoyo / AFP)

Updated on Jan 04, 2020 3:24 PM

Flood-affected residents receive medical assistance in Jakarta. The health ministry deployed some 11,000 health workers and soldiers to distribute medicine, disinfectant hygiene kits and food in a bid to stave off outbreaks of Hepatitis A, mosquito-borne Dengue fever and other illnesses, including infections linked to contact with dead animals. (Bay Ismoyo / AFP)

9/11

People check their phones at a charging station in Jakarta. Dewi Puspitasari worried about her one-year-old daughter’s health. “The blanket and mat I’ve got here aren’t thick enough for her and we’re scared she will get sick,” she told AFP. As Indonesians gathered for Friday prayers, a call went out for mosques to take in and help desperate refugees. (Dita Alangkara / AP)

Updated on Jan 04, 2020 3:24 PM

People check their phones at a charging station in Jakarta. Dewi Puspitasari worried about her one-year-old daughter’s health. “The blanket and mat I’ve got here aren’t thick enough for her and we’re scared she will get sick,” she told AFP. As Indonesians gathered for Friday prayers, a call went out for mosques to take in and help desperate refugees. (Dita Alangkara / AP)

10/11

People clean up the clay after floods hit Lebak Gendong. In hard-hit Lebak outside Jakarta, residents started the slow process of cleaning up their deluged homes. “Everything’s gone,” shop owner Aminah told AFP. “I left it all because I got scared at how high the water was getting.” (Weli Ayu Rejeki / Antara Foto via REUTERS)

Updated on Jan 04, 2020 3:24 PM

People clean up the clay after floods hit Lebak Gendong. In hard-hit Lebak outside Jakarta, residents started the slow process of cleaning up their deluged homes. “Everything’s gone,” shop owner Aminah told AFP. “I left it all because I got scared at how high the water was getting.” (Weli Ayu Rejeki / Antara Foto via REUTERS)

11/11

Rescuers search for victims at a village heavily affected by a landslide in Cigudeg. This week’s disaster marked Jakarta’s worst flooding since 2013 when dozens were killed after the city was inundated by monsoon rains. “This year’s flooding was phenomenally bad because of the extremely high rainfall,” Yayat Supriatna, a Jakarta-based urban planning expert told AFP. (Kozer / AP)

Updated on Jan 04, 2020 3:24 PM

Rescuers search for victims at a village heavily affected by a landslide in Cigudeg. This week’s disaster marked Jakarta’s worst flooding since 2013 when dozens were killed after the city was inundated by monsoon rains. “This year’s flooding was phenomenally bad because of the extremely high rainfall,” Yayat Supriatna, a Jakarta-based urban planning expert told AFP. (Kozer / AP)

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