Inp.polri.go.id - Wamena. The Jayawijaya Sub-regional Police in Papua Mountains reported on Sunday (17/5/2026) that a joint search and rescue team has evacuated 24 victims who fell into the Uwe River in Wamena.
The victims were submerged following the collapse of the Wouma suspension bridge, a tragic event that subsequently triggered recent inter-tribal conflicts in the capital of Jayawijaya Regency.
"The results of our search with the joint team since the first day the Wouma suspension bridge broke until Sunday have led to the recovery of approximately 24 victims," said Jayawijaya Police Chief Superintendent Anak Agung Made Satriya Bimantara in Wamena.
The continuous rescue operations were conducted in coordination with the Jayawijaya Military Command and the Wamena Post of the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas (National), according to antaranews.com.
Chief Bimantara acknowledged that official casualty figures remain unconfirmed due to conflicting public accounts, with initial estimates ranging from 7 to 38 people. Inaccurate reports from the community even incorrectly listed living individuals as deceased.
Despite the conflicting data, the joint team maintained search operations for eight consecutive days prior to the tribal clashes to help ease tensions among aggrieved families. The active search operations remain focused across the bridge site, the river mouth behind Wamena Airport, and the Yikuba area.
(mg/inp/pr/rs)
