Indonesia today ramped up efforts to help those on remote islands hit by a devastating tsunami as an official put the latest death toll at 449, with 96 missing and feared dead.
Rescuers trying to reach isolated villages were hampered by torrential rains and heavy seas on Saturday as three-metre-high waves pounded the coastline.
But in a rare piece of good news, 135 people were found alive, hiding on high ground and too afraid of another wave to return to their shattered villages.
"The latest death toll is 449, and 96 people are missing," disaster management official Agus Prayitno told AFP.
"Besides the big group of survivors found yesterday, there were also other individuals who have come to the temporary shelters alive. There were also others who returned to their villages," he added.
Another official, Joskamatir, said the search for the missing was ongoing, although "there's a high likelihood they are dead, mostly buried in sand."
"The weather is better today, there's no rain. So we hope we will be able to send the supplies quickly. We're also expecting two more helicopters to arrive to air-drop relief supplies to remote areas," he added.
The tsunami, which was triggered on Monday by a 7.7-magnitude earthquake, has displaced nearly 15,000 people on the Mentawai islands off the coast of Sumatra.
Emergency services in Indonesia are being further stretched by the continued eruption of Mount Merapi in central Java, where more than 50,000 people have been evacuated.
