195 dead, 128 missing in Indonesian flood

JAKARTA, June 22 (UPI) -- Flooding and landslides on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi had claimed 195 lives by Thursday, with another 128 people missing, the Antara news agency said.

The hardest hit Sinjai district accounted for 175 deaths. The disaster began early Tuesday morning when torrential rains set off a series of landslides that swept entire buildings away, the report said.

Thursday, Health Minister Siti Fadilah Supari said she had ordered a shipment of eight tons of medicine and relief supplies, including biscuits, rice, sarongs, blankets and 200 body bags.

The flash floods were the worst to hit the region in the past 10 years and some environmentalists blame deforestation for creating unstable ground conditions, the report said.