MUDSLIDES KILL 63 IN INDONESIA, 35 TOURISTS TRAPPED

JAKARTA: At least 63 people were killed thousands left homeless in flash floods and mudslides triggered by days of torrential downpours in Indonesia.

In a separate incident, around 35 foreign and domestic tourists are believed to be trapped and two others died in the tourist island of Lombok on Sunday, a disaster agency official said. Two moderate earthquakes struck Lombok, triggering the landslides, when around 40 Malaysian and domestic tourists were visiting the Tiu Kelep waterfall, north of the island, Muhammad Rum, head of West Nusa Tenggara disaster agency told Kompas TV. Search and rescue efforts have only managed to evacuate three of the 40 and two were found dead, Rum said.

Rescuers recovered more bodies as floodwaters and landslides destroyed roads and bridges in several areas of Papua province’s Jayapura district, hampering rescue efforts, said Suto p o P u r wo Nugr o h o , the National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman.

The 63 dead included three children who drowned after the floods began just after midnight Saturday. Nugroho said 58 bodies had been pulled from the mud and wreckage of crumpled homes by Sunday.

Another 74 people were hospitalised, many with broken bones and head wounds.

Nugroho said the number of dead and injured will likely increase since many affected areas have not been reached.

“We are overwhelmed by too many injuries,” said Haerul Lee, the head of the Jayapura health office.

“We can’t handle it alone.”