Residents and rescue workers stand near a car swept away by a flash flood after a dam burst in Jakarta, Indonesia on Friday. A dam burst in the outskirts of Indonesia's capital before dawn killed at least 50 people, officials said. AP
While landslides and floods are common during the rainy season in Indonesia, the latest disaster was probably caused by torrential rain and poor maintenance, some officials said, reflecting years of under-investment in much of the country's crucial infrastructure.
The dam, which retained water in Lake Situ Gintung in Tangerang District, 20 km southwest of Jakarta, dated from the 1930s in the Dutch colonial era, according to local media reports.
"The dam was an old dam, 16 m deep," said Ratu Atut Chosiyah, governor of Banten province, where the lake is located. "Last night, because of heavy rain, the dam could not hold back the water so it broke," she added.
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