Death toll rises to 47 in Indonesia's floods, landslides

Death toll from floods and landslides in Central Java province of western Indonesia has risen to 47 with 15 others missing, a senior official of disaster agency said here on Monday.

The search and rescue operation was challenged by an unstable condition of soils and a potential of rains to happen, spokesman of the National Disaster Management Agency, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, said.

Under the condition, the communities are also warned to step up alert, he told Xinhua via phone.

The search and rescue operation would continue to be carried out in the next seven days, the official said.

Previously, the agency reported that the natural disaster had also left 14 people severely wounded and hundreds of houses badly damaged.

The districts of Purworejo, Banjarnegara and Kebumen are the hardest-hit areas, and most of the casualties came from there, Sutopo said.

Sixteen districts and cities have been affected by the disasters since Saturday after hours of heavy downpours, he said.

Indonesia is frequently hit by floods and landslides during heavy rains. Endit