TERRA.WIRE
Indonesian authorities widen search as flood death toll reaches 142
JAKARTA (AFP) Nov 13, 2003
 The search for 102 people still missing after an Indonesian flood disaster will be extended over a wider area, officials said Thursday as the confirmed death toll rose to 142.

The flash flood on November 2 swept through Bahorok, a popular riverside resort on the edge of Mount Leuser National Park in North Sumatra, destroying more than 450 buildings.

The search for bodies which may have been swept away will be extended to cover more than 20 kilometers (12 miles) downstream, said an official at the rescue coordination center in Medan city.

Senior officials, including Vice President Hamzah Haz and Environment Minister Nabiel Makarim, have said rampant illegal logging in the national park was partly to blame for the disaster.

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