An aerial view shows vast remains of uprooted trees at the Darul Mukhlisin Islamic boarding school and mosque in the aftermath of flash floods at Aceh Tamiang

An aerial view shows vast remains of uprooted trees at the Darul Mukhlisin Islamic boarding school and mosque in the aftermath of flash floods at Aceh Tamiang

 Aditya Aji

The death toll in Indonesia's devastating floods closed in on the 1,000 mark Thursday as hundreds of thousands more continued to face shortages, with frustration growing over relief efforts.

Disaster mitigation agency spokesman Abdul Muhari said 990 people had died by late Thursday in the deluge, which laid waste to the northwestern island of Sumatra -- the biggest disaster of its kind in recent years. More than 220 people are still missing.

Originally published on doc.afp.com, part of the BLOX Digital Content Exchange.