Six students drown, five missing in Indonesia flood

Rescuers search for victims following a flash flood in Yogyakarta. The flash flood hit hundreds of students and teachers who were hiking along a river on Indonesia’s main island of Java. (AP Photo)

• Around two dozen students from a group of 250 were injured in the incident and taken to hospital in Yogyakarta
• Torrential rain in January triggered flooding and landslides that killed nearly 70 people in and around the capital, Jakarta

YOGYAKARTA, Indonesia: At least six students drowned and five others are missing after being caught by a flash flood in torrential rain while trekking near a river in Indonesia.
Around two dozen students from a group of 250 were injured in the incident and taken to hospital in Yogyakarta, the country’s cultural capital on Java island.
“While they were trekking, suddenly the flood with strong current hit and swept away some students,” said national disaster mitigation agency spokesman Agus Wibowo in a statement.
The students were from school scout clubs.
The Southeast Asian archipelago is regularly hit by floods during the rainy season, which started in late November.
Torrential rain in January triggered flooding and landslides that killed nearly 70 people in and around the capital, Jakarta, while thousands more were forced to evacuate to shelters.