FLASH FLOODS IN TUBAN, BOJONEGORO FORCE THOUSANDS TO EVACUATE

Tuban, E Java, March 6 (ANTARA) - Flash floods, triggered by days of torrential rain, inundated dozens of villages in Tuban and Bojonegoro districts in East Java and forced thousands of people to evacuate on Friday.

The heavy rains caused Kali Kening, a tributary of the Bengawan Solo river, to burst its banks creating a flood that invaded villages in the districts of Tuban and Bojonegoro.
Selongabus village head Mustain said the flood had forced 300 families in his village to abandon their homes and seek temporary shelter elsewhere.
He said the flash floods started to inundate the villages on Thursday night while at 10 am on Friday the flood water level was still rising.
A number of people at first refused to evacuate but because the flood water level continued to rise, they eventually changed their mind and fled their homes, he said.
Some 497 houses and a number of schools at Selogabus village were inundated forcing hundreds of students to skip school.
Last Friday, thousands of Bojonegoro residents were also forced to abandon their homes because of flooding following the overflowing of the Bengawan Solo river.