Six killed, 14 missing after flash floods and landslides hit Indonesia

Jakarta, May 19 (IANS) Rescuers on Monday discovered five more bodies of victims of flash floods and landslides in Indonesia's West Papua province, bringing the death toll to six, while over 14 others remain missing, an official said.

According to Yefri Sabaruddin, head of the provincial search and rescue office, some of the bodies were found on the surface, while others were buried beneath piles of wood and branches in the disaster-hit areas of Gunung Arfak Regency.

"Five bodies have been found today. They have been taken to a temporary post," Sabaruddin told Xinhua news agency. "Our focus now is on searching for the 14 missing people. We will try to find them."

Following the recovery of the bodies, the next phase of the search and rescue operation will shift to downstream areas of the rivers flowing through the disaster site.

"There is a possibility that the victims were swept downstream," Sabaruddin explained.

The operation has been carried out manually due to the challenging terrain in the mountainous region, which prevents the use of heavy machinery.

However, Sabaruddin noted that the search has been temporarily suspended due to ongoing high-intensity rainfall in the area.

"We are anticipating the risk of further flash floods or landslides, which could endanger the safety of the rescuers," he said.

The operation is expected to resume on Tuesday, but may be delayed again if weather conditions do not improve.

The flash floods and landslides struck Gunung Arfak Regency on Thursday night following heavy rainfall. Poor communication access in the area led to delays in reporting the disaster to rescue teams.

--IANS

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