Indonesian landslide toll 'at least 100'

JAKARTA, Indonesia -- Relief workers fear that at least 100 people have been killed by floods and landslides that have crushed several villages on a remote Indonesian island popular with surfers.

The whereabouts of up to a thousand other islanders is uncertain. Rescue efforts are being hampered by the isolation of the distress zone and an international appeal is being made for aid.

Homes in at least five villages were swept away before dawn on Tuesday on the island of Nais, which lies in the Indian Ocean west of Sumatra, some 1335 kilometers (825 miles) from the capital of Jakarta.

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Destroyed bridges, downed telephone lines and washed-out roads prevented news of the tragedy getting out and will inevitably delay the arrival of vital aid.

Days of torrential rain and three earthquakes in the sea southwest of the island are believed to have triggered the deadly combination of floods and landslides.

Nias, with a population of about 600,000, has little infrastructure and many villages in the interior are inaccessible by road. It has one small airstrip and access by boat from the nearest port on Sumatra takes at least eight hours.

Worst-hit was the Lahusa subdistrict, where more than 700 of the missing people lived. Flooding swept away a bridge connecting Lahusa to other districts, hampering rescue.

Latest reports from a Red Cross official responsible for the region says the death toll is "at least 100." Earlier reports put the toll lower but were expected to rise as news reaches the outside world.

Police officer Lt. John Meliala said many of the missing residents could be safe, having taken shelter on high ground above flood waters.

How best to help

Aid organizations in Jakarta said they were still considering how best to respond to the disaster.

Abdurrahman Nasution, a local government official, said that rescue workers were on their way to Sambulu village in the island's mountainous interior. At least 103 houses were destroyed and hundreds of other homes damaged, Nasution said.

Villagers searching mud and rubble reported that 62 people had been killed.

Hendrik Gulo, another government official in Nias's main town, Gunung Sitoli, said 28 bodies had been recovered so far and transported to a hospital.

He said two rivers had burst their banks and flooded the surrounding countryside.

Village under water

Much of Sambulu village was still under water on Wednesday, although it had stopped raining.

"With so much flooding, we are worried some bodies may be swept out to sea," he said. "More rescuers are on their way now."

He said authorities had sent emergency food aid to the region, including 50 sacks of rice and noodles.

The island is popular with international surfers, but officials from the embassies of Australia and Japan said they were not aware of any nationals so far among the casualties.

With legendary waves and picturesque beaches, Nias has been a draw for surfers for decades. The island is almost the size of Indonesia's famous resort of Bali but its remoteness has kept tourism at bay.

Flooding and landslides kill hundreds of people in Indonesia every year. Officials and environmentalists say deforestation by loggers and villagers needing firewood contribute to the disasters.

The Associated Press & Reuters contributed to this report.