Hundreds of rescue workers and soldiers struggled yesterday to reach villages devastated by floods and landslides in Indonesia's East Java as the known death toll climbed to 63.

Eddy Susilo, head of Indonesian Information Ministry branch in the town of Jember, not far from the scene, said the bodies of 61 villagers had been found. Two rescue workers had also drowned in swollen rivers yesterday, he added.

Heavy rains late on Sunday triggered the floods and landslides at six hillside villages near Jember, around 800 kilometers east of Jakarta.

Most of the villagers lived on coffee plantations and river banks where many trees had been felled, stripping the area of natural protection from such a disaster.

A few villages were still cut off because of collapsed bridges and landslides blocking access, said Muhammad Suryadi of the state disaster management agency.

"Thousands have sought refuge and more than 300 can't get out."

As well as the fast-flowing rivers, sporadic rains was slowing evacuation efforts, rescue officials said.

One survivor said he had fled with his baby to nearby woods after surging water killed his wife and flattened his home. They had not eaten since Sunday evening, he said, after arriving in the village of Kemiri, where rescuers are based.

"I am depressed because I lost my wife and my house. The only one left is my baby," said Ratimin, 38.

In Kemiri, around 100 soldiers used fallen trees to build emergency bridges to try to cross raging waterways and reach those in need.

(China Daily January 4, 2006)