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 (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>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>JAKARTA (Reuters) - Flash floods and landslides triggered by torrential rain in Indonesia’s easternmost province of Papua have killed at least 58 people, injured dozens and displaced more than 4,000, authorities said on Sunday.

A search for more possible victims was under way in the town of Sentani, which was hit by flash floods late on Saturday. Fifty-one people were killed and 74 injured there, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesman of the national disaster agency, told a news briefing.

Heavy rain caused landslides in the nearby provincial capital of Jayapura, killing seven there, Nugroho said.

Soldiers pulled alive a 5-month old baby from under the rubble of his house and took him to hospital, Papua military spokesman Muhammad Aidi said.

The number of victims “will probably increase because the evacuation process is still taking place and not all affected areas have been reached,” Nugroho said.

About 4,150 people are sheltering in six evacuation centers, he said.

Hundreds of houses, three bridges and a Twin Otter airplane parked at the airport were damaged by the floods. The Sentani airport, the province’s main transport hub, remained open.

TV footage showed mud and large logs on Sentani’s main roads after floodwaters receded.

Disaster authorities have warned local governments of flash flood risks due to deforestation in the mountains surrounding the town, Nugroho said, adding that in 2018 Jakarta sent seedlings intended for tree-planting.

“Forest destruction in the Cyclops mountains have increased for use as firewood and to turn the land into plantations,” Nugroho said.

“Since 2018 we have warned the Jayapura government to be careful of flash flood risks because of this deforestation,” he added.</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>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>Flash flooding in the Indonesian province of Papua killed at least 50 people and injured 59 near the provincial capital, Jayapura, disaster officials said Sunday.as rescuers search for survivors in the town of Sentani, which was hit by the flood Saturday evening.Sentani is the site of Sentani International Airport, which is the largest airport in Papua and serves Jayapura, about 15 miles away.Suryadi Diaz, a Papua police spokesman, said the overcutting of trees in the hills above Sentani to convert the land to farming had contributed to the heavy flooding. There was little vegetation to slow the flow of water, he said, and small rivers quickly became overloaded.Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, the spokesman for Indonesia's disaster management agency, said that in Sentani, nine houses were washed away and 150 others were flooded. A Twin Otter aircraft at the airport and two bridges were damaged, he said."We are still assessing the damage," he said in a message to reporters. He said there was likely to be more because not all affected areas had been reached.Videos of the scene posted online showed floodwaters rushing through the town at night. In the background, people could be heard crying or calling for help.By Sunday morning, videos showed people walking along a major street that was covered in mud. Nearby were damaged houses and debris from the flooding. One video showed an airplane lying flat in the mud.Papua is Indonesia's largest and easternmost province. It occupies the western half of the island of New Guinea, which it shares with the nation of Papua New Guinea.The province, formerly controlled by the Dutch, was annexed by Indonesia in 1963 and incorporated into the country in 1969 after a vote that many Papuans contend was rigged. Since then, the province has been the focus of a simmering independence movement.</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>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.
At least 73 people have been killed in flash floods in the province of Papua, Indonesia.