Flash floods kill at least 50 in Indonesia's Papua provinceFlash 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 town of Sentani 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. SEE ALSO :68 dead, 7,000 displaced as floods hit IndonesiaAt least nine houses, two bridges and a Twin Otter plane parked at the region’s main airport were damaged by the floods. Disaster authorities have warned local governments of flash flood risks due to deforestation in the mountains surrounding the town, he said. “We’ve told local authorities to be careful of floods or flash floods considering forest destruction that has been happening in the Cyclops mountains,” Nugroho told Kompas TV.

Source: Standard Digital March 17, 2019 04:30 UTC