At least 42 people were killed and 21 others wounded as flash floods hit the Sentani area near Jayapura in eastern Indonesia’s Papua Province, confirmed Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, the spokesperson for the country’s National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), on Sunday via his Twitter.
“Victims of flash floods in Sentani area continue to grow as the evacuation is still ongoing,” said Nugroho.
Local authorities have dispatched search-and-rescue teams to the affected area while the deceased have been sent to nearby hospitals to confirm their identities.
Landslides and flooding are common in Indonesia, especially during the monsoon season which usually falls between October and April.
