18 March 2019 10:51 am
JAYAPURA AFP March17, 2019- Flash floods in Indonesia’s eastern Papua province have killed at least 50 people, an official said Sunday, as rescuers raced to help dozens of other victims of the disaster.
The floods in Sentani, near the provincial capital of Jayapura, were triggered by torrential rain and landslides on Saturday, leaving some 59 people injured.
Dozens of homes were damaged by floodwaters, 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,” he added.
“The flash floods were likely caused by a landslide.” The waters had receded but officials were still trying to evacuate people from hard-hit areas.
“The joint search and rescue teams are still doing evacuations and not all affected areas have been reached because of fallen trees, rocks, mud and other material,” Nugroho said.
In Doyo, one of the worst affected areas, a housing complex was littered with huge rocks believed to have rolled down from a nearby mountain, according to an AFP reporter at the scene.
Video footage showed rescuers administering oxygen to a victim who appeared trapped beneath a fallen tree.