Bali Flood Deaths Climb To Nine, Search Underway For Six Missing

Heavy flooding triggered by torrential rains killed at least nine people on Indonesia’s tourism island of Bali, while six more are still missing.

Authorities said the floods submerged homes and inundated hotels, prompting evacuations in the areas of Denpasar, Jembrana, Gianyar, Klungkung, Badung and Tabanan.

Search operations are ongoing for the missing persons, National Disaster Mitigation Agency Head Suharyanto said in a statement on Thursday. Government agencies are also cleaning up debris and providing relief for the evacuees, he said. 

Several atmospheric factors are driving the heavy rains in Indonesia, according to the national weather agency, including temperature fluctuations in the Indian Ocean, which can cause more rains in Southeast Asia. A roving band of rain and clouds through the tropical oceans over the next week can also drive increased rains, it said.

The neighboring East Nusa Tenggara province earlier this week also saw flooding that claimed four lives, the agency said in a separate statement.