Hundreds flee as high waves strike Indonesia coast
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High waves lashed hundreds of homes in eastern Indonesia, forcing about 1,000 people to flee but causing no casualties, an official said.
"Some 250 houses along the coastline were hit this morning by three-metre high waves, leaving dozens destroyed," a senior official at Biboki Anleu, in East Nusa Tenggara province, told reporters.
He said that there was no reports of casualties so far but ongoing heavy downpours had hampered his teams' ability to complete site checks.
"At least 1,000 residents have fled their homes," he added.
High waves have been lashing Indonesia's eastern islands for the past week.
On Tuesday, two students drowned in a resort area south of Kupang, the capital of East Nusa Tenggara, when a three-metre wave swept to shore, their relatives said.
A cargo ship also sank in rough seas in eastern Indonesia on Monday, killing three people and leaving five missing, while the turbulent waters also killed two swimmers.
Torrential rains have also inundated Indonesia's main island of Java in recent days, killing scores of people in landslides and floods.
High seas and wild weather are not unusual from December to February in Indonesia, when the rainy season hits a peak across the world's fourth most populous nation.
- AFP
