Indonesia flash floods: At least 58 people dead after torrential rain destroys mountainside villages

Disaster submerges hundreds of homes in neck-high water and mud

Flash floods and mudslides have killed at least 58 people and left thousands homeless in Indonesia’s easternmost province.

The floods were triggered by days of torrential downpours which tore through mountainside villages, disaster officials said on Sunday.

The disaster in Papua province’s Jayapura district submerged hundreds of houses in neck-high water and mud, said National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesperson Sutopo Purwo Nugroho.

The floods and mudslides also destroyed roads and bridges, hampering rescue efforts.

Mr Nugroho said 58 bodies had been pulled from the mud and wreckage of crumpled homes by Sunday.

Another 74 people were hospitalised, many with broken bones and head wounds.

The dead included three children who drowned after the floods began late on Saturday.

He said the number of dead and injured will likely increase since many affected areas have not been reached.

“We are overwhelmed by too many injuries,” said Haerul Lee, the head of Jayapura health office, adding some medical facilities had been hit by power outages. “We can’t handle it alone.”

Papua’s provincial administration has declared a two-week emergency in order to get assistance from the central government.

Papua military spokesperson Colonel Muhammad Aidi said rescuers had managed to save two injured infants who had been trapped for more than six hours. The parents of one of the babies was washed away and drowned.

Worst hit was Sentani subdistrict, where a landslide early on Sunday was followed minutes later by a river that burst its banks, sweeping away residents in a fast-moving deluge of water, heavy logs and debris, said the local disaster mitigation agency head Martono.

Martono, who goes by a single name, said rescuers have been evacuating more than 4,000 people to temporary shelters.

Television footage showed hundreds of rescuers and members of the police and military evacuating residents to shelters at a government office.

Ambulances and vehicles were seen carrying victims on muddy roads to several clinics and hospitals.

Seasonal downpours cause frequent landslides and floods, killing dozens of people each year in Indonesia.

Associated Press