JAKARTA, Indonesia, March 18 (NNN-ANTARA) – The death toll from flash floods and landslides in Indonesia’s easternmost Papua province has climbed to 77, with 116 others injured, a local official in charge of rescue efforts said.
Spokesman of the search and rescue office in Jayapura district, Yudi Yanto, said, 41 people were seriously injured, while 75 others had minor wounds, after the natural disaster hit several villages, Saturday night.
The figures were expected to rise, Yudi said, as search and rescue efforts continued, involving soldiers and volunteers with heavy machinery equipment.
“The number of victims may exceed the current figure of 77, as our personnel are searching for more victims,” he said.
By today (Monday), wooden logs and other materials washed down by the flood water have also blocked roads, hampering the rescue operation, the spokesman said.
“Two heavy machinery equipment have been deployed, to help open the access and clear the roads from the rubble, wooden logs and other materials,” said Yudi.
The injured were rushed to a nearby hospital for medical treatment, spokesman of the National Disaster Management Agency, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, said.
Over 4,000 people have been forced to flee their homes and take shelter at safer gound, according to the agency.– NNN-ANTARA