Rescue workers in Indonesia struggled on Saturday to reach victims in several devastated areas that were hit by an earthquake and floods, and authorities feared the confirmed death toll of 248 would rise further.

The areas were largely cut off by damaged roads and downed communications lines, and relief aircraft were delivering aid and supplies to the hard-hit district of Central Tapanuli in North Sumatra province and elsewhere in the region. Rescue efforts were also hampered by damaged bridges and roads and a lack of heavy equipment.

The National Disaster Management Agency said rescuers in West Sumatra’s Agam district recovered more bodies, increasing the death toll to 248 with more than 500 people injured.

Monsoon rains over the past week caused rivers to burst their banks in North Sumatra province. The deluge tore through mountainside villages, swept away people and submerged thousands of houses and buildings, the agency said. Nearly 3,000 displaced families fled to government shelters.

There was a desperate need for heavy equipment to reach possible survivors buried under tons of mud and rocks in Agam district where rescuers retrieved more bodies, bringing the death toll to 74 in West Sumatra alone by Saturday, said Rahmat Lesmono from the local disaster office. Some 78 others were still missing in three villages in Agam.

The Indonesian death toll send the count for Southeast Asia way past 350 as clean-up and search and rescue operations got under way in that country as well as in Thailand and Malaysia.

Heavy monsoon rain overwhelmed swathes of the three countries this week, killing hundreds and leaving thousands stranded, many on rooftops awaiting rescue.

In southern Thailand water levels reached three metres in Songkhla province and killed at least 145 people in one of the worst floods in a decade.

Workers at one hospital in hard-hit Hat Yai moved bodies into refrigerated trucks after the morgue exceeded capacity.

Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul visited a shelter for evacuees in the district, saying "I really have to apologise to them for letting this happen during the time I am in government".

The Thai government rolled out relief measures for those affected by the flooding, including compensation of up to US$62,000 for households that lost family members, amid growing public criticism of its flood response that has led to the suspension of two local officials.

A lawmaker from the opposition People's Party criticised the administration, saying it "wrongly estimated the situation" and made "errors in handling the flood crisis".

Two people were killed in Malaysia by flooding caused by heavy rain that left stretches of northern Perlis state under water.

The annual monsoon season, typically between June and September, often brings heavy rain, triggering landslides and flash floods. A tropical storm has exacerbated conditions, and the tolls in Indonesia and Thailand rank among the highest in floods in those countries in recent years. (AP/AFP)