Landslide death toll in Indonesia's Aceh hits 20

JAKARTA, Tuesday (Reuters) The death toll from crushing landslides that smashed into two villages in Indonesia's Aceh province last week has reached 20, with around 250 people injured, a rescue official said on Tuesday.

Rochmali, chief of Aceh's search and rescue unit, said more than 3,000 people had been made homeless from the rain-triggered landslides that hit two villages in the Kutacane district a week ago while residents were sleeping.

"The official report currently states 20 people have died and three are still missing," Rochmali said by telephone. Officials have previously been reporting much lower death tolls. Of the injured, 68 were badly hurt, Rochmali said.

The affected area is in the south of Aceh, a province on the northern tip of Sumatra island where the rainy season is in full swing.

The disaster piles on the misery for Acehnese, who are still struggling to cope with the Dec. 26 tsunami that left 170,000 people dead or missing.

Many landslides in Indonesia are exacerbated by illegal logging that strips away natural barriers to such disasters.