Flood death toll climbs to 43

In ruins: Residents walking past wrecked cars that were swept away by floodwaters in Bekas. — AP

Jakarta: Indonesian rescuers mounted a desperate search for those missing after flash floods and landslides sparked by torrential rains killed at least 43 people across the Jakarta region while health authorities raced to prevent disease outbreaks.

Around a dozen people were still unaccounted yesterday for after record rains that started on New Year’s Eve pounded the capital and left swathes of the megalopolis, home to some 30 million, under water and with thousands homeless.Around 192,000 residents have been evacuated to temporary shelters, according to authorities, with many unable to return to waterlogged homes in neighbourhoods turned into wastelands of debris and overturned cars.