Indonesia sees at least 15 dead in floods and landslides

Flooding and landslides in the Indonesian province of North Sulawesi have left at least 15 people dead, officials say.

On Sunday thousands of people fled their homes in the provincial capital Manado and surrounding areas to escape the floods.

The water was up to 2m (6ft 6in) deep in some places, a government official told Reuters news agency.

Rescue teams and residents are digging through debris to search for survivors.

Bulldozers and other equipment are being sent to affected areas.

The bodies pulled from the mud on Sunday included those of three children, North Sulawesi police chief Brig-Gen Dicky Atotoy told the Associated Press (AP) news agency.

Residents say they were cleaning debris from a previous landslide when mud and rocks fell down the hills.

"It was horrible. We were immediately fleeing, but some failed and (were) buried in the ground," local official Lucky Sumakud told AP.-British Broadcasting Corporation (February 18, 2013 07:55GMT)