Papua Set for Mass Burial as Flood Death Toll Reach 100
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20 March 2019 17:19 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Papua is planning to hold mass burials for the victims of flash floods, as the death toll from the disaster rose to 104 on Wednesday, March 20, with nearly 10,000 people displaced, the national disaster mitigation agency (BNPB) said.
The floods and landslides injured 160 people, 85 of them seriously, while 79 people were missing, said Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, the BNPB spokesman.
After consulting families and churches, a mass funeral for the victims would be held on Thursday, he said.
Read: Sentani Flood Death Toll Rises to 89 People, 74 Missing
The floods and landslide struck at the weekend near the provincial capital of Jayapura after torrential rain fell across the Cyclops mountain range, much of which has been stripped of trees by villagers chopping firewood and farmers cultivating plantations.
Disaster authorities had warned Papua's provincial officials of the danger of flash floods due to deforestation.
Fourteen excavators had been deployed to help clear blocked roads, while temporary bridges were also being built in some areas after access had been cut.
Read: Thousands Take Refuge After Flash Flood Hits Sentani, Papua
The nearly 10,000 displaced people were scattered across 18 relief shelters and they would be moved to six camps to help streamline aid distribution, the spokesman said.
REUTERS
