Amman, Dec 13 (Petra)- Indonesian authorities announced on Saturday that the death toll from recent floods and landslides across the country has risen to more than 1,000, while more than 200 people remain missing, amid forecasts of heavy rainfall.

A spokesman for the National Agency for Disaster Countermeasure (BNPB) said at a press conference on Saturday that floods, which struck the provinces of North and West Sumatra and Aceh two weeks ago, had, "to date, killed 1,006 people and left 217 missing." Tropical storms and monsoon rains have hit Southeast Asia including Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand as well as South Asia, particularly Sri Lanka, this month, triggering landslides and flash floods.

Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency warned that weather conditions are expected to worsen, with heavy rainfall forecast especially in Aceh, Sumatra, Bengkulu and Banten, while around 1.2 million people remain sheltering in temporary evacuation centers.

//Petra// AF