Dam Breaks in Indonesia

At least 97 people died and more than 100 were still missing days after a colonial-era dam burst, sending a wall of muddy water through a suburb southwest of Indonesia’s capital city, Jakarta, on March 27, 2009.

The 16-meter-high (52-foot-high) earthen dam, which Dutch colonists built in 1933, gave way after torrential rains overfilled the manmade lake Situ Gintung. The tsunami-like wave crashed through the low-lying residential area before dawn, flattening more than 300 homes and flooding 200 others.

Church members and missionaries were reported safe. The flood did not affect any Church buildings.

Soldiers, police, and volunteers helped to dig through mud and debris, looking for survivors. Church members from two branches in Jakarta worked with the Muhammadiyah Islamic Organization to provide aid to flood victims.