Floods kill 20, displace 340,000 in Indonesia

JAKARTA, Indonesia - Boats ferried supplies to desperate residents of Indonesia’s flood-stricken capital on Sunday as rivers burst their banks following days of rain. At least 20 people have been killed and almost 340,000 forced from their homes, officials said.

Hundreds of people scrambled to the second floors of their houses to escape the rising waters. Some found themselves trapped, while others refused to leave despite warnings that the muddy flood waters — running over 13 feet deep in places — may rise further in the coming days.

“Jakarta is now on the highest alert level,” said Sihar Simanjuntak, an official who monitors the many rivers that crisscross this city of 12 million people. “The floods are getting worse.”

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