Indonesia: Death toll climbs to 79 in Papua floods

By Mahmut Atanur

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AA) - Death toll from floods in eastern Indonesia rose to 79 on Monday, according to national disaster management agency.

Indonesian National Board for Disaster Management (BNPB) spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said in a written statement that 74 people were injured after floods hit Jayapura, capital city of Papua province.

Some 43 people are still missing while the disaster affected 12,000 people.

Search and rescue operations are ongoing at the disaster area.

Last January, 68 people lost their lives in disaster-hit Sulawesi Island when torrential rain triggered landslides and floods.

Landslides and flooding are common in Indonesia, especially during the monsoon season between October and April, when rain lashes the vast tropical archipelago.