Toll in Indonesia floods, landslides now 79

[caption id="attachment_239222" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Indonesian police and soldiers search for residents who need assistance at a flooded neighborhood in Sentani, Papua Province, Indonesia, Monday, March 18, 2019. Flash flood and mudslides triggered by days of torrential downpours tore through mountainside villages in Indonesia's easternmost province, killing dozens of people. AP/PTI[/caption] Jakarta, March 18 (IANS): The death toll from flash floods and subsequent landslides in Indonesia's Papua province has increased to 79, with search and rescue operations continuing on Monday to locate 43 missing people. Due to the floods and landslides that hit villages in Jayapura district on Saturday night, 4,728 people were forced to evacuate from their home and take shelter at six centres, Natural Disaster Management Agency spokesperson Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said. A total of 350 houses, over 100 buildings, three bridges, eight school buildings and three religious buildings were also destroyed, Xinhua news agency reported. On Sunday, authorities declared a state of emergency for 14 days.