Hardships mount as flood tolls rise

OFFICIALS in flood-hit parts of Indonesia reported shortages of food, shelter, and medicine as the death toll reached 950 yesterday following weeks of heavy rain.

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A slew of tropical storms and monsoon rains has pummelled Southeast and South Asia, triggering landslides and flash floods from the rainforests of Indonesia's western Sumatra island to the highland plantations of Sri Lanka.

“Everything is lacking, especially medical personnel. We are short on doctors,” Muzakir Manaf, governor of Indonesia's Aceh province, told reporters.

“Basic necessities are also important. It’s not just one or two items.”