Death Toll among Indonesia Floods Victims Raises to 53

The death toll from flash floods around the capital of Indonesia, Jakarta, has risen to at least 53 victims, with another 175,000 homeless.

After records began in 1866, the deluge has been described as "one of the most intense rainfall events."

Officials have reported that another person is missing after records began as the area has experienced some of the heaviest rain.

The floods brought chaos to parts of the largest city in South East Asia, blocking train lines and power outages in many areas.

Swathes of Jakarta and nearby towns were flooded after heavy rain on New Year's Eve and early January 1st.

The deluge was "one of the most extreme rainfall" events since records began in 1866, the Meteorological, Climatological and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) said.

The agency said that climate change increased the risk of extreme weather and warned that heavy rainfall might last until mid-February.

Floodwaters inundating areas of Jakarta and mud-covered vehicles were shown on television video, some piled up over each other.

More than 30 million people live in Jakarta and its surroundings.

In 2007, more than 50 people died in one of the deadliest floods in the capital, and five years ago, much of the city center was flooded after overflowing canals.

Last year, President Joko Widodo declared that the capital will relocate to a location in Borneo Island's East Kalimantan province as the current site has started to decline after unregulated groundwater extraction.

Noteworthy, Indonesia faced forest fires last year which caused economic losses t to the country.

The World Bank has estimated the value of the total damage and economic losses caused by forest fires in Indonesia this year at about $ 5.2 billion.