Flash floods in Indonesia’s eastern Papua province killed At least 50 people. The floods in Sentani, near the provincial capital of Jayapura, were triggered by torrential rain and subsequent landslides on Saturday, and also left 59 people injured. Dozens of homes were damaged by floodwaters, the national disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said.“The number of casualties and impact of the disaster will likely increase as search and rescue teams are still trying to reach other affected areas.”The waters had receded but officials were still trying to evacuate people.
In Doyo, one of the most affected areas, a housing compound was beset with huge rocks believed to have rolled down from a nearby mountain. Video footage from the scene showed rescuers administering oxygen to a victim who appeared trapped beneath a fallen tree. Uprooted trees and other debris were spotted across muddy roads, while at Jayapura’s small airport, a propeller plane lay partly crushed on a runway.
In Sentani, tents have been set up to take in flood victims and treat the wounded victims. The Indonesian province of Papua shares a border with Papua New Guinea. Flooding is common in Indonesia, especially during the rainy season that runs from October to April. Last January, floods and landslides killed at least 70 people on Sulawesi Island, while earlier this month hundreds in the West Java province were forced to evacuate when torrential rains caused severe flooding.
>Alma Siddiqua
Indonesia: Flash Floods Killed at Least 50 People
