Jakarta – Indonesia's environment minister on Wednesday branded illegal loggers as terrorists after a flood disaster blamed on tree-felling killed an estimated 190 people in North Sumatra.

Nabiel Makarim criticised the army and police for involvement in the practice, which is rampant across much of the huge archipelago.

"I insist that based on the criteria in the anti-terrorist law the fact is, destruction of the environment such as illegal logging can be categorised as terrorism," Makarim told reporters.

"The consequences caused by the destruction of the environment like floods and landslides are just as dangerous as the consequences of a bomb," the minister said.

Makarim, despite his remarks, did not say that illegal loggers should be charged under the anti-terror law pased in the wake of the Bali attack.

Police, troops and civilian volunteers had found 87 bodies while about 100 others were still missing, said rescue official Johnny Sitorus. Officials say there is little hope of finding the missing alive.

Makarim said the environment ministry is trying to prosecute 48 environmental cases, particularly cases of illegal logging, but it is not easy because the judiciary is corrupt.

"It is difficult to combat illegal logging because we must face financial backers and their shameless protectors both from the Indonesian armed forces and police, and from other government agencies," he said, after discussing the problem with President Megawati Sukarnoputri.

Makarim said natural disasters in Indonesia have tended to increase over the last three or four years. "This is firmly connected with an extraordinary amount of illegal logging."