VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

At least 16 villages in Batanghari District, Jambi Province, were inundated, as the Batanghari River overflowed its bank since the past one week.

"Some 16 villages in six sub-districts are affected by the flooding," Samral, secretary of the Batanghari Disaster Mitigation Office (BPBD), stated here on Wednesday.

The flood-affected villages, including Benteng and Sengkati in Mersam Sub-district, are located along the bank of Batanghari River.

The other flooded villages are Olak Jong, Olak Besar, Aur Gading, and Karmeo in Batin XXIV Sub-district; Danau Embat Village in Maro Sebo Ilir Sub-district; Rambutan Masam and Ampelu villages in Muara Tembesi Sub-district, and Pasar Baru in Muara Bulian Sub-district.

These villages are prone to flooding since they are located in the river basin area of Batanghari River, according to Samral.

The Batanghari authorities have urged people living along the riverbank to remain vigilant during the current rainy season, as the water being discharged by Batanghari River can increase dramatically at any time due to water coming from the river’s upstream area. (ANTARA)

The Indonesian Air Force has readied three aircraft for the evacuation of Indonesians from Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak.

"We have readied two Boeing 737 and a C130 Hercules. The move is based on the result of our meeting two days ago with the Coordinating Ministry for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs; Health Ministry; and Foreign Affairs Ministry," a spokesman of the Indonesian Air Force Air Commodore Fajar Adriyanto stated here on Wednesday.

The Air Force has also readied personnel from its health battalion, equipped with necessary medical equipment, he noted.

However, the Air Force awaits further instruction from the Foreign Affairs Ministry over the permit from the Government of China, as Wuhan has been on lockdown since January 23 to prevent further spread of the coronavirus.

"We are still waiting for the Foreign Affairs Ministry on whether they can obtain the permit from China. The Air Force is ready," Adriyanto stated.

He could not as yet confirm the number of Indonesians to be evacuated from ground zero of the outbreak, though stating that each aircraft can take 100 to 200 Indonesians.

"We have also prepared equipment for the crews to prevent transmission of the virus. Their food must be monitored and would be under quarantine upon their arrival," he stated.

The Foreign Affairs Ministry has recorded 243 Indonesians in China’s Hubei Province, of which 100 are in Wuhan City.

As of Wednesday morning, the death toll in the coronavirus outbreak has reached 132 in China, while 103 patients received hospital discharge.

According to the local authority, 5,997 people in China had contracted the 2019-nCov, including eight in Hong Kong, seven in Macau, and eight in Taiwan.

Some 9,239 other people were suspected of having been infected by the virus, and one new case was found in the Autonomous Region of Tibet in the southwest of China.

On Wednesday, hundreds of Japanese and Americans were airlifted out of Wuhan, with Australia to follow suit. (ANTARA)

The torrent of water from incessant heavy rains, lashing since Tuesday, led to extensive flooding that inundated at least 163 homes in South Tapanuli District, North Sumatra Province.

"The number of houses submerged by the flooding has reached 163," Habibullah Harahap, the chief of Simataniari Village, Angkola Sangkunur Sub-district, stated here on Wednesday.

The floodwaters began entering the residents' homes at around 4 a.m. local time Wednesday morning, as the Sangkunur and Batang Toru rivers overflowed their banks.

"In Pardomuan hamlet, 96 families are affected by flooding, while 67 families in Setia Baru are impacted. A total of 163 houses have been flooded," he stated.

The floodwaters in Pardomuan reached heights of up to two meters, while one-meter-high waters were recorded in Setia Baru.

Some 50 families were forced to flee to higher ground, he stated.

The flooding also led to elementary and junior high schools being temporarily closed, as the buildings were submerged by floodwaters reaching the height of an adult’s knee.

"Agricultural and plantation areas, measuring between 25 to 30 hectares, are also flooded," he pointed out.

Head of the South Tapanuli Disaster Mitigation Office (BPBD) Ilham Suhardi spoke of his plan to immediately send his team to review and evaluate the impact of the flood. (ANTARA)

Hundreds of foreign nationals have been evacuated from the Chinese city of Wuhan, the centre of the coronavirus outbreak, as more deaths and cases were confirmed.

Australia plans to quarantine its 600 returning citizens for two weeks on Christmas Island - some 2,000km (1,200 miles) from the mainland.

Japan, the US and the EU are also repatriating their citizens.

President Xi Jinping called the virus a "devil" but said China would defeat it.

An expert from the Chinese National Health Commission (NHC) said it could take 10 more days for the outbreak to peak.

The number of deaths from the virus has risen to 132 in China, the NHC said on Wednesday.

The virus is thought to have emerged from illegally traded wildlife at a seafood market in Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province.

It causes severe acute respiratory infection and there is no specific cure or vaccine. A number of people, however, have recovered after treatment.

Meanwhile, Starbucks has closed half of its Chinese outlets, as the economic impact continues to grow.

Who is being evacuated?

Australian evacuees will be held on Christmas Island for two weeks, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said.

The announcement sparked controversy as the island is best known for a recently-reopened immigration detention centre, which was criticised for its conditions.

Currently only housing one Sri Lankan family of four, the facility was built to accommodate more than 1,000 people.

New Zealand will cooperate with Canberra to bring its 53 citizens home alongside the Australian evacuees.

The Christmas Island controversy

By Frances Mao, BBC News, Sydney

For over a week now, the Australians trapped in Wuhan - many of them children - have been calling on their government to help get them out.

But the announcement of a two-week quarantine on Christmas Island have given many pause for thought.

The external territory - closer to Indonesia than the Australian mainland - has long had a bad reputation.

Since 2003, it's been one of the main places offshore where Australia detains asylum seekers, in conditions criticised by the UN.

But what will happen to the Sri Lankan family of four when others arrive? And are the medical facilities on the island adequate for the evacuees?

Chinese-Australians are also asking why their children are being sent miles away, as opposed to hospitals on the mainland.

Would this happen, they ask, to Australians who were holidaying in the UK?

Some 200 Japanese nationals have been flown from Wuhan and have landed at Tokyo's Haneda airport.

Around 650 others said they wanted to be repatriated, and the Japanese government said new flights were being planned.

According to Japanese media, several of the returnees were suffering from fever or coughs. All will be taken taken to hospital, regardless of whether they are showing symptoms.

They will then be tested in a quarantine ward before they can go home, and will be told not to leave their houses until the results are known.

Also on Wednesday, around 200 Americans - workers from the local US consulate and some US citizens - left the city.

According to CNN, the evacuees might have to stay in isolation in an airport hangar for up to two weeks.

The UK Foreign Office is arranging to evacuate some 200 British people who wanted to leave the area. But some UK citizens have criticised the government, claiming lack of support in returning home.

Separately, two aircraft to fly EU citizens home were scheduled, with 250 French nationals leaving on the first flight.

South Korea said some 700 of its citizens would leave on four flights this week.

It's unclear whether they will be quarantined, but South Korean media are reporting the government will cover all costs of infected patients. So far, the country has four confirmed cases of the virus.

Meanwhile, Hong Kong announced plans to slash cross-border travel between the city and mainland China.

Wuhan - as well as the wider Hubei province - is already effectively in a lockdown with strict transport restrictions.

What's the latest on the virus itself?

Confirmations of person-to-person transmission in Germany, Vietnam, Taiwan and Japan - as opposed to travellers bringing the virus from China - have heightened concern about the spread of the virus.

Leading Chinese respiratory expert Zhong Nanshan told Xinhua news agency: "I think in one week or about 10 days, it will reach the climax and then there will be no large-scale increases."

China agreed for the World Health Organization (WHO) to send international experts to the country.

President Xi met WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in Beijing and said: "The virus is a devil and we cannot let the devil hide." (BBC)