JAKARTA (Reuters) - Flash floods in Indonesia’s easternmost province Papua have killed at least 42 people and left 21 badly injured, a local disaster agency official told Reuters on Sunday.

The Sentani area near the provincial capital Jayapura has been hit by torrential rain since Saturday which triggered the floods, said the official, Cory Simbolon. </s> At least 58 people have been killed in flash floods in the eastern Indonesian 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.

The search for victims continues in the town of Sentani, one of the worst affected areas. Fifty-one people were killed in the town, national disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said, quoted by Reuters news agency.

The other seven confirmed deaths were in the nearby provincial capital Jayapura, 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. Meanwhile a propeller aircraft was partly crushed on the runway of Jayapura airport.

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. (BBC) </s> JAKARTA (Reuters) - Flash floods in Indonesia’s easternmost province of Papua have killed at least 42 people and badly injured 21 others, a local disaster agency official told Reuters on Sunday.

The Sentani area near the provincial capital Jayapura has been hit by torrential rain since Saturday that triggered the floods, said the official, Cory Simbolon.

At least nine houses and two bridges were damaged by the floods, national disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said, adding that a search and rescue team has yet to reach all the affected areas.

“Waters have now receded, leaving mud, logs and other materials carried by the flash floods,” Nugroho said in a statement.

More than 120 residents were taking shelter at government offices after their homes were hit by the floods, he said.

Authorities, aided by the Red Cross and volunteers, were responding to help the displaced, Nugroho said. </s> JAKARTA: Flash floods in Indonesia's easternmost province of Papua have killed at least 42 people and badly injured 21 others, a local disaster agency official told Reuters on Sunday (Mar 17).

The Sentani area near the provincial capital Jayapura has been hit by torrential rain since Saturday that triggered the floods, said the official, Cory Simbolon.

At least nine houses and two bridges were damaged by the floods, national disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said, adding that a search and rescue team has yet to reach all the affected areas.

"Waters have now receded, leaving mud, logs and other materials carried by the flash floods," Nugroho said in a statement.

More than 120 residents were taking shelter at government offices after their homes were hit by the floods, he said.

Authorities, aided by the Red Cross and volunteers, were responding to help the displaced, 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.

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. </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> 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 most 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.

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.

"The rain started last night and went on until around 1:00 am this morning," said Lilis Puji Hastuti, a 29-year-old mother of two young children in Sentani.

"Our house was flooded with thick mud ... we immediately grabbed our valuables and ran to a neighbour's (two-storey) house to seek refuge.

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

In Sentani, tents have been set up to take in flood victims and treat the wounded.

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

Flooding is common 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> 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> JAKARTA (Reuters) - Flash floods in Indonesia’s easternmost province of Papua have killed at least 50 people and badly injured dozens of others and damaged a small plane at the region’s main airport, authorities said on Sunday.

The town of Sentani near the provincial capital Jayapura was hit by flash floods triggered by torrential rain on Saturday, national disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said in a statement.

A search operation was still under way, Nugroho said, warning that the death toll could rise.

At least nine houses, two bridges and a Twin Otter plane parked at the region’s main airport were damaged by the floods. But the Sentani airport, the province’s main transport hub, remains open, Nugroho said.

Disaster authorities have warned local governments of flash flood risks due to deforestation in the mountains surrounding the town, he said.

“We’ve told local authorities to be careful of floods or flash floods considering forest destruction that has been happening in the Cyclops mountains,” Nugroho told Kompas TV.

TV footage showed waters have receded, leaving mud, logs and debris on Sentani’s main roads.

More than 120 residents were taking shelter at government offices after their homes were hit by the floods, the disaster agency said earlier.

Authorities, aided by the Red Cross and volunteers, were helping the displaced. </s> A disaster official says the number of people killed after days of torrential rain triggered flash floods and landslides on Indonesia’s Sulawesi island has climbed to 59 with 25 others missing.

Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman, says more bodies were recovered Friday as floodwaters and rainfall subsided in several areas.

Thirteen districts and cities in South Sulawesi province including the capital, Makassar, have been affected by flooding that began late Tuesday, forcing more than 3,000 people to flee their homes. Rescuers are still searching for 25 others.

Seasonal downpours cause frequent landslides and flash floods in Indonesia, a chain of 17,000 islands where millions live in mountainous areas or near fertile flood plains.
At least 73 people have been killed in flash floods in the province of Papua, Indonesia.