Floods, landslides kill 12 in Irian Jaya

JAYAPURA, Irian Jaya: Floods and landslides caused by three days of incessant rain in Yapen Waropen and Abepura districts near here have killed at least 12 people and injured many others.

Seven victims came from Serui, the capital of Yapen Waropen district, and the nearby village of Kaboena, local resident Nico Imbiri said on Thursday.

The rains that began on Tuesday have also damaged dozens of houses, schools and other buildings as well as crops, he said.

"Our school in Barwaikap village was flooded with water up to 1 metre deep forcing us to temporarily halt school activities," said Imbiri, an elementary school teacher.

Antara reported that a landslide in Abepura caused the collapse of a crude tunnel being dug by 10 people in search of gold.

Five people were killed, four others were pulled out alive and one person was reported missing.

They were digging the tunnel in an area where a woman reportedly found a gram of gold.

"I was buried (in the tunnel) but I was still able to scream. Local residents who happened to be in the area helped me out," said one survivor, Iwan Sambur, noting that she was one of the last to enter the tunnel.

The head of the provincial mining office, N.A. Maidepa, said those searching for gold had been warned not to dig tunnels.

They were instead encouraged to pan for gold in a stream near the site of the accident, he added.