JAKARTA – 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 Sentani town 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. (Reuters)
