HEAVY RAINS TRIGGER FLOODS AND LANDSLIDE IN TOLITOLI

Tolitoli, Indonesia, Oct. 27 (ANTARA) - Heavy rains over the past two days have triggered floods and landslides in Tolitoli District, Central Sulawesi Province on Monday.

Hundreds of houses were inundated and land transportation connecting Tolitoli and Buol District was cut off due to a landslide and fallen trees. The landslide occurred in the fourth kilometer of northern Tolitoli.

"For temporary, only motorbikes could pass the landslide-hit road. The landslide is quite serious and several trees fell and blocked the road," Uyo Hamid, a resident who had passed the landslide site, said here on Monday.

An electricity pole also fell and led to a power blackout for several hours in northern Tolitoli on late Sunday.

"It was a power black out, and it disturbed a wedding reception that I attended," Hamid said.

The floods also inundated a number of school buildings. Students of state elementary school SDN 10 Tolitoli were forced to cancel their class activities and were mobilized to clean up their class rooms.

Among the worst-hit areas are Anoa and Sidodadi housing complexes, Magamu Street, Gadarmun Hangkiho street, as well as parts of Panasakan and Tambun.

The current flooding is the fourth hitting Tolitoli this year.