JAKARTA, Nov. 4 (Xinhua) -- At least 23 villagers were missing after flash floods struck the remote Nduga Regency of Indonesia's eastern Highland Papua province on Saturday afternoon, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) said Tuesday.
"A joint rescue team is still searching for the 23 missing residents, of whom 15 are in Dal District and eight in Yuguru District," said Abdul Muhari, head of BNPB's Disaster Data, Information and Communication Center.
Most of the missing were reportedly swept away by strong currents while crossing a river that overflowed following heavy rainfall in upstream areas, he said.
Muhari said no residents had been displaced, and the agency was continuing to monitor weather developments in Papua and Southwest Papua. BNPB also urged local administrations and the public to remain alert to potential hydrometeorological hazards, including floods, landslides, and strong winds.
Indonesia's Meteorological, Climatology and Geophysics Agency has said the peak rainy season will begin in December and last through January.
The Southeast Asian country frequently experiences hydrometeorological disasters during the monsoon period. ■