Flood forces thousands of Indonesian to evacuate

 Floods and landslides in the central Indonesian province of North Sulawesi have left at least eight people injured and forced 5,000 others to flee their homes.

The National Disaster Agency said on February 12 that torrential rain had caused water levels to rise to 1.2 metres, flooding 1,130 houses in Bitung city and triggering landslides elsewhere. Communications have been cut off in these areas.

Police, military troops and Red Cross staff have been evacuating locals.

Indonesia often suffers floods and landslides during rainy periods.-VNA