At least 42 people killed by flash flood in eastern Indonesia

At least 42 people were killed by flash floods in Papua province, eastern Indonesia as of March 17 morning. 
In Bandung, West Java, Indonesia (Source: AFP)
In Bandung, West Java, Indonesia (Source: AFP)

The floods in Sentani, near the provincial capital of Jayapura, were triggered by torrential rain on March 16, according to Papua authorities.

The disaster also left 21 people injured, and damaged dozens of homes, said spokesman of the national disaster agency Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, adding the number of casualties and impact of the disaster will likely increase.

Indonesia is frequently hit by floods and landslides during the rainy season which runs from October to April.

In January, floods and landslides killed at least 70 people on Sulawesi island, while earlier this month hundreds in West Java province were forced to evacuate when torrential rains triggered severe flooding.

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