Heavy Rains, Damaged Piers Stall Relief Boats

Torrential rains and severe damage to piers blocked relief boats Friday from reaching sick and hungry survivors of last weekend’s catastrophic earthquake, as the death toll climbed to 102.

Six days after the magnitude-7 quake struck the Indonesian half of New Guinea and nearby islands last Saturday, rescue teams still haven’t reached 15 remote villages, Vice Adm. Handoko Prasetio said.

The bad weather and severe damage have kept relief boats from docking on Biak, an island of 90,000 people that suffered the worst damage.