58 people confirmed dead in Indonesia flash floods

A rescue operation is underway in Indonesia after torrential rain triggered flash floods and landslides across the province of Papua, leading to widespread loss of life.

At least 58 people have been killed in the disaster, with dozens more injured and more than 4,000 people displaced.

Hundreds of homes and at least three bridges were damaged by floods in the provincial capital of Jayapura, where a five-month-old baby was among those pulled out alive from the rubble of a house.

A military spokesman said the number of victims was likely to rise because not all areas affected have been reached.

Disaster authorities added there is an increased risk of flash flooding due to deforestation in the mountains surrounding the town.


Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, a spokesman of the national disaster agency, told a news briefing that Jakarta had sent seedlings intended for tree-planting last year.


"Forest destruction in the Cyclops mountains have increased for use as firewood and to turn the land into plantations," he said.

"Since 2018 we have warned the Jayapura government to be careful of flash flood risks because of this deforestation."