JAKARTA, Nov. 28 (Xinhua) -- Landslides and floods struck East Java province of western Indonesia on Tuesday, leaving 11 people dead and thousands of houses submerged, a local official said.
Nine people were buried underneath the soil and two others were swept away by strong current in Pacitan district, spokesman of national disaster management agency Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said.
About 4,000 people are affected and they badly need to evacuate, the spokesman said.
Heavy downpours and whirl winds caused by Cempaka Tropis cyclone in waters off the province are blamed for the natural disaster, Sutopo told Xinhua in a text message.
The cyclone with 65 km per hour in speed centers at 32 km in south and southeast of the province, according to him.
The cyclone has triggered strong wind, landslides and floods in 21 districts in Java Island and Bali Island, said Sutopo.
Emergency relief efforts have been undertaken, involving soldiers, policemen, personnel of disaster agency and search and rescue officers, and volunteers, he revealed.
