Dam Bursts Near Jakarta

In Indonesia, a dam on the outskirts of Jakarta burst early this morning, killing at least 50 people and flooding hundreds of homes. Here's more. The dam, at Lake Situ Gintung in Tangerang District, southwest of Jakarta, broke this morning following torrential rain in the area. Officials say 50 bodies have been recovered so far, and hundreds of houses remain under two meters of floodwater. Search and rescue team struggled to dig through thick mud in their search for dozens of people still missing. Rescue operations have moved at a slow pace because of the blanket of mud that has cut off some roads near the dam. Residents described it as being like a small tsunami when huge waves of water crashed into the congested neighborhood. [Hanif, Witness]:

"About five o'clock I heard the dam collapsed and all of sudden the water rushed towards the houses. The water was as high as four meters." Indonesian president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono cut short a trip to Bandung, West Java, where he was campaigning for the Democratic Party ahead of the April 9 parliamentary elections. He decided instead to visit the scene of the disaster.

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