Asia-Pacific

Indonesia's flood death toll rises to 124

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-10-09 14:22

JAKARTA - The number of death tolls in flash floods in West Papua in easternmost of Indonesia has reached 124 people with 123 missing, National Disaster and Mitigation Agency reported here on Saturday.

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The mud slide in Wasior town of Teluk Wondama on Monday has seriously wounded 72 people and left 535 others suffering from minor injury, official at the agency Eko Saputra told Xinhua.

The catastrophe has internally displaced more than 2,000 people and they have taken shelter in the town of Manokwari and Nabire, he said.

"The number of victims may rise as rescuers keep searching the missing person," a rescuer at Search and Rescue office West Papua Akit Pramono told Xinhua by phone from West Papua.

Relief aid keeps flowing in with better channel of distribution through sea and air, he said.

"The air port has been cleaned from mud and can operate again," said Pramono.

The floods have destroyed most of infrastructure facilities in the town, office has said.

Jakarta and the local administration have sent more aid, including logistic, medicine and baby food, paramedics and hundreds of body bags, officials said.

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said on Friday he was to visit the scene next week to ensure whether the disaster was caused by illegal logging or extreme weather, following different claims by activist and official over the trigger of the floods.

Local television footage has shown many logs among the debris and mud.