Free Republic

A shallow earthquake shook Indonesia’s easternmost province of Papua on Thursday, killing four people who were unable to escape when a floating restaurant collapsed into the sea. The U.S. Geological Survey said the magnitude 5.1 earthquake hit residential areas in Jayapura, near Papua's northern coast and was centered at a depth of 22 kilometers (13 miles). Shallow quakes often cause more damage on the Earth's surface. “The residents were really panicked. I was in a car, and I felt like the car's wheels were lifted up,” said Tri Asih, a resident of Jayapura, Papua's capital. Officials said four people who...

At least 50 people have been killed by flash floods in Indonesia’s eastern Papua province. The floods in Sentani, near the provincial capital of Jayapura, were triggered by torrential rain and subsequent landslides on Saturday, and also left 59 people injured. Dozens of homes were damaged by floodwaters, the national disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said. “The number of casualties and impact of the disaster will likely increase as search and rescue teams are still trying to reach other affected areas.” The waters had receded but officials were still trying to evacuate people. “The joint search and rescue teams...