FLASH floods and mudslides triggered by days of torrential downpours tore through mountainside villages in Indonesia’s easternmost province, killing at least 50 people and injuring 59 others, disaster officials said yesterday.

The disaster in Papua province’s Jayapura district submerged hundreds of houses in neck-high water and mud, said National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho. The floods and slides also destroyed roads and bridges, hampering rescue efforts.

Nugroho said 50 bodies had been pulled from the mud and wreckage of crumpled homes by yesterday, and another 59 people were hospitalized, many with broken bones and head wounds.

The dead included three children who drowned after the floods began late Saturday.

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

Papua’s provincial administration has declared a two-week emergency. (SD-Agencies)