JAKARTA, Aug 28 (NNN-ANTARA) – Nineteen people have been confirmed dead, and seven others were injured, after flash floods and landslides struck Indonesia’s eastern North Maluku province, on Sunday, damaging houses and infrastructure, a senior official said, yesterday.
Fehby Alting, head of the Disaster Management and Mitigation Office in the province, said that, all the bodies of the nineteen victims had been discovered, and heavy machinery had been deployed to accelerate search and rescue operations.
To facilitate the relief efforts, the local administration declared a 14-day emergency status in the disaster-affected areas, Alting added.
Lieutenant General Suharyanto, head of the National Disaster Management Agency, visited the impacted areas to ensure that disaster response efforts were proceeding effectively, said Abdul Muhari, the agency’s spokesman.
The agency has distributed aid, including food supplies and clothing, to affected individuals. According to Muhari, a coordination meeting with local authorities is planned to discuss recovery efforts.– NNN-ANTARA
