JAYAPURA, Indonesia (AP) — The death toll from flash floods and mudslides triggered by torrential downpours in Indonesia’s easternmost province has risen to 89, with dozens of others missing, officials said Tuesday. Floodwaters and landslides…

JAYAPURA, Indonesia (AP) — The death toll from flash floods and mudslides triggered by torrential downpours in Indonesia’s easternmost province has risen to 89, with dozens of others missing, officials said Tuesday.

Floodwaters and landslides destroyed roads and bridges in several areas of Papua province’s Jayapura district early Sunday, hampering rescue efforts.

National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said the worst-hit area from the flooding was Sentani subdistrict, where tons of mud, rocks and trees from a landslide on a mountain rolled down to a river that burst its banks, sweeping away residents.

He said 89 bodies had been pulled from the mud and wreckage of crumpled homes by Tuesday. Another 159 people were injured, including 84 who were hospitalized, many with broken bones and head wounds.

The number of dead is expected to rise as rescue workers comb through affected areas.

More than 1,600 rescuers, including soldiers and police, faced difficulties on Tuesday in clearing huge piles of debris due to shortages of heavy equipment, said Papua military spokesman Col. Muhammad Aidi.

“We face difficulties removing debris and the bodies under rubble as we don’t have enough excavators,” Aidi said, adding that rescuers were searching for 74 people reportedly missing and feared dead.

Nugroho said about 7,000 residents were displaced from their homes, with more than 400 houses and other buildings damaged and thousands of others submerged.

Seasonal downpours cause frequent landslides and floods that kill dozens each year in Indonesia, a chain of 17,000 islands where millions of people live in mountainous areas or near fertile flood plains.

Copyright © 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed. </s> (CNN) — The Indonesian Red Cross is continuing search and rescue efforts in the wake of devastating floods that killed at least 113 people in the eastern province of Papua, with almost 100 still missing more than a week after the disaster struck.

More than 11,500 people were displaced in flash floods and a subsequent landslide in the Sentani area of the provincial capital, Jayapura, earlier this month.

As many as 94 people remain missing, according to state media TVRI, and a state of emergency will remain in place until Friday.

Indonesian Search and Rescue teams (TIMSAR) are still searching the affected area for survivors, according to Christa Stefanie, a spokeswoman from Tangan Pengharapan, an Indonesian social enterprise.

Continued heavy rains have increased the likelihood of another flash flood, she said, adding that the conditions have slowed the search for the remaining missing people. </s> JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) - Authorities say a landslide triggered by torrential rain has killed at least five people and left 38 others missing on Indonesia's main island of Java.

National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said soldiers, police and volunteers fanned out Tuesday across a damaged village of Sirnaresmi in West Java's Sukabumi district to search the dislodged earth for possible victims.

The mud that rolled from the surrounding hills late Monday buried 30 houses, leaving 61 people displaced.

Nugroho said the rescuers have retrieved five bodies and pulled three injured people from the mud and rushed them to a hospital.

Seasonal rains in recent days have caused dozens of landslides and widespread flooding across Indonesia, a chain of 17,000 islands where millions of people live in mountainous areas or near fertile flood plains near rivers. </s> At least 50 people have been killed by flash floods in Indonesia's eastern Papua province, an official said Sunday, as rescuers raced to find more victims of the disaster.

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, 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 floods were likely caused by a landslide."

The waters had receded but officials were still trying to evacuate people.

"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.

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 strewn across muddy roads, while at Jayapura's small airport a propeller plane lay partly crushed on a runway.

Papua shares a border with independent Papua New Guinea on an island just north of Australia.

Flooding is not uncommon in Indonesia, especially during the rainy season which runs from October to April.

In January, floods and landslides killed at least 70 people on Sulawesi island, while earlier this month hundreds in West Java province were forced to evacuate when torrential rains triggered severe flooding.

The Southeast Asian archipelago of some 17,000 islands is one of the most disaster-prone nations on Earth, straddling the Pacific Ring of Fire, where tectonic plates collide.

In December, the western part of Java island was slammed by a deadly volcano-triggered tsunami that killed about 400 people.

Also last year, the city of Palu in Sulawesi was rocked by a quake-tsunami disaster that killed thousands, while hundreds of others died in a series of quakes that hit the holiday island of Lombok, next to Bali. </s> Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Indonesia floods: Baby rescued from underneath collapsed building

At least 73 people have died and more than 60 are missing in flash floods in Indonesia's eastern province of Papua.

Rescue workers are struggling to reach remote parts of the province, and there are fears the number of dead may rise.

Roads have been blocked by landslides and fallen trees, and floodwaters have damaged two bridges and more than 100 houses.

More than 4,000 people have been forced from their homes, and some are sheltering in government offices.

Local residents said torrential rain began on Saturday evening and continued into the night, triggering mudslides and flash floods.

Image copyright EPA Image caption The town of Sentani was one of the worst affected areas

"Our house was flooded with thick mud... we immediately grabbed our valuables and ran to a neighbour's [two-storey] house to seek refuge," mother-of-two Lili Puji Hastuti told AFP news agency.

"It's hard to get out of the area because many roads are blocked... I'm worried, sad and scared all at once."

The search for victims continues in the town of Sentani, one of the worst affected areas.

At least 51 people were killed in the town, national disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho told Reuters news agency.

Another seven confirmed deaths were in the nearby provincial capital Jayapura, Mr Nugroho added.

However, a five-month-old baby was rescued in the city after being trapped under the rubble for hours, according to the military.

The baby was later reunited with his family. His father survived but his mother's whereabouts is unknown.

Warnings

Flooding is common in Indonesia, especially during the October-April rainy season.

In January, floods killed at least 70 people on the island of Sulawesi, and heavy rain in West Java earlier in March displaced hundreds.

Emergency officials say that in recent months they had warned the Papuan authorities of flood risks due to deforestation of mountains surrounding Jayapura.

Papua province borders the independent state of Papua New Guinea, to the east. </s> JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Torrential rains have triggered floods and landslides on the Indonesian island of Java, killing at least 19 villagers.

National Disaster Management Mitigation Agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho says several people are still missing in West Java's Garut and Sumedang districts.

The worst hit was Garut district, where 16 people were found dead and eight others are still missing after two rivers overflowed Tuesday night.

Nugroho said Wednesday that about 1,000 villagers were evacuated to army barracks and other temporary shelters.

He said three villagers were killed in Sumedang and one person was still missing after landslides that buried two houses.

Rains frequently caused landslides and widespread flooding across much of Indonesia. </s> Soldiers, police and residents are searching in the mud for possible victims of a landslide caused by torrential rain that killed at least nine Indonesian villagers and left 34 others missing.

Tons of mud that rolled from the surrounding hills late on Monday buried 30 houses in Sirnaresmi village of West Java's Sukabumi district.

Sixty people who were displaced have fled to a temporary shelter, National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said.

He said more than 500 rescuers have retrieved eight bodies from mounds of mud and pulled out four injured people, including an infant who died in the hospital.

They are still searching for 34 villagers said to still be missing.

Authorities struggled to get tractors and other heavy equipment over washed-out roads as heavy rain was hampering search efforts, Nugroho said.

Television footage showed hundreds of police, soldiers and residents digging through debris with their hands, shovels and hoes.

"Lack of equipment, bad weather and blackout hampered our rescue efforts for those who are still missing and feared dead," Nugroho said.

Seasonal rains and high tides in recent days have caused dozens of landslides and widespread flooding across much of Indonesia, a chain of 17,000 islands where millions of people live in mountainous areas or near fertile flood plains near rivers.

The landslide occurred during New Year's Eve celebrations less than two weeks after a deadly volcano and tsunami disaster. </s> The Western Journal has not reviewed this Associated Press story prior to publication. Therefore, it may contain editorial bias or may in some other way not meet our normal editorial standards. It is provided to our readers as a service from The Western Journal.

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Rescuers recovered six more bodies buried under tons of mud from a landslide that crashed onto a hilly village on Indonesia’s main island of Java, bringing the death toll to 15, officials said Tuesday.

The landslide that plunged down surrounding hills just before sunset Monday buried 30 houses in Sirnaresmi village in West Java’s Sukabumi district. Sixty people who lost their homes were forced to move to a temporary shelter, said National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho.

Television video showed relatives wailing as they watched rescuers pull a mud-caked body from a devastated hamlet. It was placed in a blue bag and taken away for burial.

Authorities struggled to bring tractors and other heavy equipment over washed-out roads after torrential rains sent mud and rocks crashing onto the hilly hamlets. Hundreds of police, soldiers and residents dug through the debris with their bare hands, shovels and hoes as heavy rain hindered their efforts.

“Lack of equipment, bad weather and a blackout hampered our rescue efforts for those who are still missing and feared dead,” Nugroho said.

Made Oka Astawa, head of the operations division at the National Search and Rescue Agency, said the six bodies were found under 4 meters (13 feet) of mud with the help of two excavators that managed to reach the devastated area.

Astawa said rescuers also pulled out four injured people, including an infant who died in a hospital. Twenty villagers are still believed to be missing.

He said the search effort was halted late Tuesday due to darkness and heavy rains that made the landslide areas unstable. The operation is to be resumed early Wednesday.

Seasonal rains and high tides in recent days have caused dozens of landslides and widespread flooding across much of Indonesia, a chain of 17,000 islands where millions of people live in mountainous areas or near fertile flood plains close to rivers.

The landslide occurred during New Year’s Eve celebrations.

On Dec. 22, the Anak Krakatau volcano in the Sunda Strait erupted and partially collapsed into the sea, causing a tsunami that killed at least 437 people on Java and Sumatra islands. At least 16 people are still missing and more than 33,700 residents were displaced.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards. </s> JAKARTA, Indonesia — Soldiers, police and residents fanned out across a damaged Indonesian village Tuesday, searching in the mud for possible victims of a landslide caused by torrential rain that killed at least nine people and left 34 others missing.

Tons of mud that rolled from the surrounding hills late Monday buried 30 houses in Sirnaresmi village of West Java's Sukabumi district. Sixty people who were displaced have fled to a temporary shelter, said Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman.

He said more than 500 rescuers have retrieved eight bodies from mounds of mud and pulled out four injured people, including an infant who died in the hospital. They are still searching for 34 villagers said to still be missing.

Authorities struggled to get tractors and other heavy equipment over washed-out roads as heavy rain was hampering search efforts, Nugroho said. Television footage showed hundreds of police, soldiers and residents digging through debris with their hands, shovels and hoes.

"Lack of equipment, bad weather and blackout hampered our rescue efforts for those who are still missing and feared dead," said Nugroho.

Seasonal rains and high tides in recent days have caused dozens of landslides and widespread flooding across much of Indonesia, a chain of 17,000 islands where millions of people live in mountainous areas or near fertile flood plains near rivers.

The landslide occurred during New Year's Eve celebrations less than two weeks after a deadly volcano and tsunami disaster.

On Dec. 22, the Anak Krakatau volcano in the Sunda Strait erupted and partially collapsed into the sea, causing a tsunami that killed 437 people on Java and Sumatra islands. At least 16 people still missing and more than 33,700 residents were displaced.
The death toll of the floods and landslide in Jayapura, Indonesia, rise to 113. At least 94 others are still missing.