DHAKA: At least 13 people have been killed and 40,000 have fled their homes after torrential rain triggered flash floods and landslides on Indonesia’s northern Sulawesi island.

Indonesia officials said on Thursday, reports The Straits Times.

Rivers on the island’s northern tip overflowed and burst their banks, sending torrents of water surging through the city of Manado and surrounding areas that swept away poorly-constructed houses and vehicles.

People waded through waist-deep water to get to safety, while some took to rubber dinghies to escape the rapidly rising flood waters.

Many of those displaced took shelter in government buildings and churches in the Christian pocket of Muslim-majority Indonesia.

BDST: 1602 HRS, JAN 16, 2014
Edited by Robab Rosan, Current Affairs Editor