Sumatra floods: Hundreds dead or missing

At least one-hundred-and-sixty people are dead or missing following days of incessant rain on Indonesia's Sumatra Island.

Landslides and floods have destroyed or cut off many towns and villages, and rescuers believe many of the missing could still be alive under tons of mud and rocks.

Food supplies have been ruined and with the island's infrastructure damaged, much needed aid isn't getting through.

The district chief of one area Darizal Basir of Pesisir Selatan says hundreds of people are now starving and desperate for food.

But, he added, the authorities lacked the means to evacuate them.

Thousands of people have been moved to higher ground as up to five metres of water swamped their homes and farms.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service