8 killed, evacuees reach 60,000 as floods persist in Jakarta, Indonesia

Widespread flooding afflicting Indonesian capital of Jakarta killed eight people and forced over 60,000 others to escape the waters as of Monday, as heavy downpours keep deluging the city, official said.

The heavy rain overnight pushed more residents to wade through flooded streets, clutching their belonging, some other used rubber dinghies to make their way to safer evacuation-camps that are mainly housed in office buildings, school buildings, erected tents, and mosques, according to Basuki Rahmat, head of management section at the Jakarta disaster agency office.

"The number of those displaced is 63,958 people so far, they take shelters at 297 spots," Rahmat told Xinhua by phone.

Though the water began to recede slightly on Monday, heavy downpours was still on and off and the authorities have warned the residents to keep in vigilant as heavier rain is foreseen to keep deluging the city in days to come, he said.

"We have warned the people, particularly those in shelters to be on alert as the meteorology agency foresees more heavier rain to come down this week," said Rahmat.

He said that eight people have so far died from drowning and being electrocuted.

Jakarta has been suffering from the floods since Jan. 14, which put the city under murky and brown waters since then.

Officials said that the floods are yet to rise as strong as that of on Jan. 17, 2013, the highest in five years and paralyzed the government and business spheres.

Flooding has perennially deluged Jakarta, a fast-growing but poorly planned city.

To assist the flood affected-persons, the authorities have delivered emergency relief aids, including clean waters, logistics, blankets, tents, rubber boats and others, said Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesman of national disaster management agency, told Xinhua over phone.

Floods and landslides also hit other parts of Indonesia such as Pekalongan of Central Java, South Sumatra and South Sulawesi and Jambi province, forcing several thousands of people to flee to evacuate, said Ali Mahfud, an official with the agency.

Seasonal downpours often lead to floods each year in Indonesia, a chain of 17,500 islands where over millions of people live in vulnerable flood plains near to rivers.