JAKARTA (XINHUA) - Four people were killed and six others were missing after a suspension bridge collapsed during flash floods in Indonesia's western Bengkulu province on Sunday (Jan 19), a disaster agency official said.

The disaster occurred at 3pm Jakarta time when floods hit the bridge in the province's district of Kaur, spokesman for the National Disaster Management Agency Agus Wibowo said.

A total of 17 people survived the accident after falling from the bridge, the spokesman told Xinhua.

Torrential rains were blamed for the accident, he said.

Search for the missing persons was underway involving soldiers, policemen, the personnel of the Search and Rescue Office and volunteers, he added.

The assessment on the risks of the flash floods had been carried out, said Wibowo.

The Indonesian Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency warned of possible excessive downpours in several parts of the vast-archipelagic country this month and next month.