Floods Cause Severe Damage to 351 Homes in Sentani, Papua

Jayapura, MINA –  Floods have caused serious damage to 351 homes, four bridges, four roads, and eight school buildings in Sentani Sub-district, Jayapura District, Papua Province.

Two churches and a mosque, eight drainage systems, 104 home-cum-shops, and a market were also seriously damaged by flooding that hit the sub-district on Saturday (March 16, 2019), Senior Commissioner A.M. Kamal, spokesman of the Papua Police, noted here, Tuesday.

According to Antara News, Four cars and 30 motorbikes were also submerged by flooding, he added.

The extent of damage and death toll might increase, as rescuers continued to look for more casualties and collect data on material losses.

“A joint team, comprising military, police, and disaster response personnel, is still working hard at the locations affected by the floods,” he remarked.

Meanwhile, the death toll from the flash flood that swept through several parts of Jayapura District in the easternmost Indonesian province of Papua rose to 61 as of Sunday evening.

The flash flood also injured 43 people, while 69 others were still missing, Kamal noted.

The injured were treated at several hospitals, including RSUD Yowari, RS Dian Harapan, and RS Bhayangkara.

The 69 missing residents included 34 from Milinik Village, 20 from the BTN Gajah Mada housing complex, seven from the Inauli housing complex, four from Bambar Village, and two from the BTN Bintang Timur housing complex.

Kamal remarked that some one thousand people have evacuated to higher ground following the flash flood.

“We have put up tents for the evacuees in several areas considered safe,” he added.(R/R04/P2)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)