Jayawijaya Police: 24 victims of the Uwe River drowning have been evacuated

The Jayawijaya Police in Papua Pegunungan recorded that 24 victims who drowned in the Uwe River in Wamena have been evacuated.

As many as 24 victims were successfully evacuated by a joint team from the Jayawijaya Police, Kodim 1702/Jayawijaya and the Wamena Basarnas Post. These are victims of the collapse of the Wouma suspension bridge which triggered inter-tribal conflict in the capital of Jayawijaya Regency.

Chief of the Jayawijaya Police, AKBP Anak Agung Made Satriya Bimantara in Wamena, Sunday, said that search efforts had been carried out with a joint team from Kodim 1702/Jayawijaya and the Wamena Basarnas Post until now.

According to him, the focus of the joint team is to search for victims of the collapse of the Wouma suspension bridge since May 7, 2026, in order to reduce existing tensions.

“To be honest, up to this moment we have not received accurate data on how many victims fell due to the collapse of the Wouma suspension bridge. Information about victims falling from the Wouma suspension bridge says there were 7, 20, 33 and 38, but all of this is still unclear,” he said.

He explained that even some information from residents stated that a victim named ‘so-and-so’ had died, but after checking again, the victim was still alive.

He added that three points are the focus of the search, namely from the collapsed suspension bridge to the Wouma Bridge area near the mouth or behind Wamena Airport and Yikuba.

“In total, 24 bodies or victims have been found so far. And we continue our efforts with a joint team from Kodim and Basarnas,” he said.