Egypt central bank deploys AI tools to track inflation, map informal economy: governor    Egypt's stocks record strong gains in September, EGX30 up 4.33%    Egypt approves 776,379 state-funded treatment decisions in July–August    Egypt launches waste reduction plan in Port Said with Japan's JICA    Telecom works near Grand Egyptian Museum cause brief Cairo service outage: NTRA    Egypt drug regulator, Organon discuss biologics expansion, investment    Microfinance portfolios in Egypt exceed EGP 101bn, reaching 4.1 million clients by Q2 2025    Gaza death toll surpasses 66,000 as Israel tightens siege, 'Freedom Flotilla' nears coast    Egypt's PM addresses parliament on Al-Sisi's objections to criminal procedures bill    Egypt's Contact Financial closes EGP 1.312bn securitisation bond    Suez Canal Authority urges Maersk to resume transits, citing strategic role in global trade    Egypt's Al-Sisi reaffirms state's commitment to judicial independence    Alameda launches Egypt's largest private-sector medical conference    Egypt calls for global mental health action, strengthens regional partnerships at Doha Summit    A Timeless Canvas: Forever Is Now Returns to the Pyramids of Giza    Egypt aims to reclaim global golf standing with new major tournaments: Omar Hisham    Egypt's foreign minister says Ethiopia's Nile dam policy is 'destabilising'    Trump unveils controversial Gaza peace plan amid escalating crisis, divided responses    Al-Sisi, Bin Zayed back Trump's Gaza peace initiative amid mounting diplomatic drive    Egypt to host men's, juniors' and ladies' open golf championships in October    Egypt's President Al-Sisi pardons activist Alaa Abdel Fattah, 5 others    Egyptian Writers Conference announces theme for 37th session    Egypt's Al Ismaelia wins heritage award for Downtown Cairo revival    Egypt's PM heads to UNGA to press for Palestinian statehood    Egypt condemns terrorist attack in northwest Pakistan    Egypt's foreign minister holds talks on reviving Iran nuclear negotiations    Egypt's Sisi, Uganda's Museveni discuss boosting ties    Egypt's Sisi warns against unilateral Nile measures, reaffirms Egypt's water security stance    Greco-Roman rock-cut tombs unearthed in Egypt's Aswan    Egypt reveals heritage e-training portal    Sisi launches new support initiative for families of war, terrorism victims    Egypt expands e-ticketing to 110 heritage sites, adds self-service kiosks at Saqqara    Palm Hills Squash Open debuts with 48 international stars, $250,000 prize pool    Germany among EU's priciest labour markets – official data    Paris Olympic gold '24 medals hit record value    A minute of silence for Egyptian sports    Russia says it's in sync with US, China, Pakistan on Taliban    It's a bit frustrating to draw at home: Real Madrid keeper after Villarreal game    Shoukry reviews with Guterres Egypt's efforts to achieve SDGs, promote human rights    Sudan says countries must cooperate on vaccines    Johnson & Johnson: Second shot boosts antibodies and protection against COVID-19    Egypt to tax bloggers, YouTubers    Egypt's FM asserts importance of stability in Libya, holding elections as scheduled    We mustn't lose touch: Muller after Bayern win in Bundesliga    Egypt records 36 new deaths from Covid-19, highest since mid June    Egypt sells $3 bln US-dollar dominated eurobonds    Gamal Hanafy's ceramic exhibition at Gezira Arts Centre is a must go    Italian Institute Director Davide Scalmani presents activities of the Cairo Institute for ITALIANA.IT platform    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Flash floods, earthquake in Indonesia kill over 80
Published in Ahram Online on 18 - 03 - 2019

The number of people killed after torrential downpours triggered flash floods and mudslides that tore through mountainside villages in Indonesia's easternmost province has climbed to 79, with dozens of others missing, officials said Monday.
On Sunday, the disaster-prone country was hit by an earthquake, triggering a landslide that hit a popular waterfall on the tourist island of Lombok, killing at least three people and damaging hundreds of homes.
The worst-hit area from the flooding was Sentani subdistrict, where tons of mud, rocks and trees from a landslide on a mountain early Sunday rolled down to a river that burst its banks, sweeping away residents, National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho told a news conference in the capital, Jakarta.
Floodwaters and landslides destroyed roads and bridges in several areas of Papua province's Jayapura district following days of torrential rains, hampering rescue efforts, Nugroho said.
``The combination of natural factors and human activities has caused this fatal disaster,'' he said.
Nugroho said 79 bodies had been pulled from the mud and wreckage of crumpled homes by Sunday. Another 74 people were hospitalized, many with broken bones and head wounds.
Nugroho said the number of dead and injured would likely increase since affected areas had not been reached and rescuers were still searching for dozens of people reportedly still missing.
``We are overwhelmed by too many injuries,'' said Haerul Lee, the head of the Jayapura health office, adding that some medical facilities had been hit by power outages. ``We can't handle it alone.''
Papua military spokesman Col. Muhammad Aidi said rescuers saved two injured infants who had been trapped for more than six hours. The parents of one of the babies were washed away and died.
Nugroho said rescuers evacuated more than 4,200 people to temporary shelters as more than 600 houses and buildings were damaged and submerged.
Television footage showed hundreds of rescuers and members of the police and military evacuating residents to shelters at a government office. Others were carrying bodies in black and orange body bags. Ambulances and vehicles were seen carrying victims on muddy roads to several clinics and hospitals.
Seasonal downpours cause frequent landslides and floods and kill dozens each year in Indonesia, a chain of 17,000 islands where millions of people live in mountainous areas or near fertile flood plains.
Meanwhile, a moderately strong earthquake triggered a landslide on Lombok island on Sunday. The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake had a magnitude of 5.5 and struck at a depth of 23 kilometers (15 miles).
The earthquake was felt across the island, located next to Bali, panicking residents still recovering from a major quake last August that killed more than 300 people and left thousands homeless.
Sunday's quake triggered a landslide from Mount Rinjani and hit dozens of tourists at the Tiu Kelep waterfall located in the foothills of the active volcano, said Nugroho, the disaster agency spokesman.
Two Malaysians and a 14-year-old Indonesian boy were killed in the landslide, Nugroho said.
He said rescuers managed to evacuate 22 Malaysians and 14 Indonesians from the waterfall site, and 56 others _ mostly local surveyors from government institutions, the military and the police _ from the mountainous area.
At least 182 people were injured in the quake, including 26 Malaysians, Nugroho said. About 525 homes were damaged, including 32 that were flattened.
Indonesia sits on the ``Pacific Ring of Fire'' and has frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the United Nations was ready to help Indonesia cope with the disasters.
``The United Nations expresses its solidarity with the Indonesian authorities and stands ready to work with them as they respond to the humanitarian needs resulting from both natural disasters,'' the spokesman for the secretary-general said in a statement.


Clic here to read the story from its source.