Local police commissioner Teduh Tedjo said 31 people had been found dead in Jember district, about 800 kilometres (500 miles) east of the capital, while around 1,500 people had sought refuge at government buildings and schools.

"Of 31 bodies, only 16 had been brought to hospital. The rest are still in the flooded areas because of transport problems," he said.

Television footage showed scores of people, some carrying babies in sarongs or leading oxen by hand, fleeing along muddy roads on foot, bicycle and motorcycle.

Tedjo said that the search for more victims was halted before dusk as rescue workers awaited the arrival of better recovery equipment.

"The equipment is not adequate to do the job. We will resume work tomorrow (Tuesday) morning, if there's no rain," he said.

Over 300 police officers, assisted by rescue workers and soldiers, had earlier scoured the flooded area for more victims.

More than 100 houses in Kemiri village in the district were swept away, while those belonging to plantation workers nearby were also submerged, he said.

Heavy rains have inundated the area since Saturday.

The state-run Antara news agency said hundreds of houses in four villages in Jember had been swept away by the floods after the Kaliputih river burst its banks.

"Many victims have not been found. Many of them may have been buried in the mud," local police chief Soejatmiarto was quoted as saying.

The chief meteorologist in East Java, Eddy Waluyo, warned that heavy rains and storms would continue to pound Jember and surrounding areas over the next few days, the agency reported.

Local activists blamed illegal logging for the floods and urged the local government to carry out reforestation.

Severe flooding, much of it blamed on rampant deforestation and the development of natural water catchment areas, is not unusual during Indonesia's rainy season.

More than 200 people were killed in 2003 when flash floods tore through Bahorok, a popular riverside resort in North Sumatra, destroying more than 450 buildings. The tragedy was blamed largely on illegal logging.

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