Sentani flash flooding death toll rises to 89

NATURAL DISASTER/ EARTHQUAKE - JAKARTA. The death toll from the deadly flash flooding that hit Jayapura, Papua, on Sunday has risen to 89, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) announced on Tuesday.

“The main emergency response coordination post recorded 82 people killed by the flash floods across Jayapura regency and seven people killed by a landslide in Ampera, Jayapura city […] We have reports that 74 people are still missing,” BNPB spokesperson, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, said in a press release on Tuesday.

“The numbers of victims keeps increasing because the affected area is very large,” he added.

Eighty-four people suffered serious injuries in the flooding.

Sutopo said a joint force team from 23 institutions comprising 1,613 personnel had been deployed to Sentani to provide emergency help for the victims of the flash flooding.

Currently, 6,831 people are taking refuge at 15 evacuation camps in Jayapura regency and Sutopo said they urgently required basic provisions such as food, bedding, clean water, clean clothes, generators and much more.

“The number of evacuees keeps rising, many people have opted to stay in evacuation camps because they are scared that there will be another flash flood. As a result, some camps are overcrowded,” Sutopo said.

The Social Affairs Ministry has allocated Rp 2 billion (US$140,538) for disaster relief in Jayapura. The ministry said the first shipment of the aid had arrived in Jayapura containing food, clothes and evacuation equipment.