Indonesian flash floods kill at least 26; hundreds of homes destroyed

Flash floods in eastern Indonesia kill at least 26

WONDAMA, Indonesia — Days of torrential rain triggered landslides and flash floods in eastern Indonesia, killing at least 26 people and destroying hundreds of homes, officials and witnesses said Tuesday.

Residents in Wasior, a village in a hilly corner of West Papua province, combed the mud in search of missing relatives with their bare hands.

“I heard a roar and suddenly the river near my home broke its banks,” said Ira Wanoni, describing the scariest deluge, which occurred early Monday. “Water mixed with rocks, mud and logs gushed out. … Many people didn’t have time to save themselves.”

Decky Amnir, head of the local Disaster Management Agency, told reporters in Wondama district that at least 26 people were killed and more than 60 were sent to nearby hospitals with injuries.

Some had to be evacuated by helicopter, he said, adding that there had been some damage to the local airport as well.

With hundreds of homes damaged — at least 30 of them completely flattened — thousands of people have had to flee the area.

“We need tents to shelter people,” said Amnir. “And medical supplies, too.”

Landslides and flooding kill dozens of people every year in the vast tropical archipelago of Indonesia, which has more than 17,000 islands.