Indonesian floods leave 12 dead

Residents are wading through knee-deep floodwaters in Rumbai sub-district in Pekanbaru in Indonesia yesterday. Twelve people were reported dead and more than 70,000 fled their homes as floods swept the Indonesian island of Sumatra. PHOTO: AFP

Villagers immediately blamed the floods on illegal logging while authorities were pushing the rescue efforts further into remote areas and fearing the worst would be discovered when flood waters subside.

"Until today (Saturday), eight people have died from floods in Matangkuli and Gayo Lues districts," the head of the public relations department in Aceh province told AFP.

"We have not been able to assess exactly how many people need to be evacuated, but according to reports so far from six districts 70,000 people have fled their homes."

He said that number could increase as communications are extended into isolated areas as heavy rains continue to hamper evacuation and relief efforts.