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Some 50 people are confirmed dead and over 100 displaced after torrential rains and flash floods hit the easternmost end of Indonesia.
A flash flood in Indonesia’s easternmost province of Papua has left at least 50 people dead, according to the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA).
In addition to those who perished in the floods and landslides, at least 21 people were badly injured and another 18 suffered wounds, said head of the emergency unit of Papua's natural disaster management agency, Cory Simbolon, to Xinhua.
"Dozens of people are still missing as the flash floods hit at about 18:00 p.m. local time," the official told reporters.
The town of Sentani near the provincial capital Jayapura was hit the hardest by flash floods triggered by heavy rains on Saturday, said Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, NDMA spokesperson.
A parked plane at the small Sentani airport was damaged by the airport remains open, Nugroho reported.
Deforestation in the mountains surrounding Sentani having made landslides and destruction worse, said the NDMA authority to local TV.
“We’ve told local authorities to be careful of floods or flash floods considering forest destruction that has been happening in the Cyclops mountains,” adding: “Victims of flash floods in Sentani area continue to grow as the evacuation is still ongoing," Nugroho stated.
Landslides and flooding are common in Indonesia, especially during the monsoon season between October and April. Earlier last month over 6,500 people were displaced from their homes in and near the Indonesia capital of Jakarta due to major floods in the area.
More than 120 residents are temporarily living in government offices in Sentani after their homes were ruined or damaged by the Sunday rains.
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