8 killed, 5 missing in floods in east Indonesia

Rescuers have found eight dead bodies and are searching for five others reported missing as floods hit Ambon, capital of Maluku Province in eastern Indonesia, local official said on Tuesday. The disaster seriously damaged over 50 houses and submerged hundreds of buildings in the city that pushed over 4,000 people fleeing from homes said Brory Tjokro, head of disaster management and mitigation agency for Ambon. The heavy rains that swept the city since Monday were blamed for the disaster that caused over-flowing of rivers, he said. "We have found eight dead bodies, two of them died after being swept by currents and the rest were hit by the rubble of their houses after landslides destroyed them," Tjokro told Xinhua over phone from the city. "Now the rescuers are digging the soil, where the houses were leveled by landslides, to find those went missing," he said. The local administration is providing foods, tents and others emergency needs for the evacuees who are taking shelters in tents, school buildings and other buildings. On July 25, a dam broke in Maluku Province, leaving three people missing, seriously damaging 470 houses and forcing more than 5,000 people fleeing from homes.