An Indonesian village was inundated by crimson-coloured water after flooding hit a fabric dyeing centre in central Java, sparking a social media frenzy.

Residents of Jenggot, near the town of Pekalongan, were seen wading through blood-red water on Saturday and many shared images of the rare phenomenon online.

Officials later confirmed the unique colour came from harmless fabric dye used by several batik factories in the area.

Pekalongan itself is well known for its batik textiles industry, with many cottage industries flourishing across the town.

"They did not dump the dye on purpose, but several home industries were flooded and the dye packages were carried away by the water", local disaster agency official Dimas Arga Yudha told AFP Sunday, adding that the batik dye was not toxic or dangerous.

Local officials deployed pumps to drain the flooded area it was cleared in less than an hour.

Floods are very common across the Indonesian archipelago, especially during the rainy season.

In January at least 21 people died and more than 60,000 were evacuated after a series of major floods hit South Kalimantan.

On-the-loose tiger captured alive after Indonesia zoo escape
Pontianak, Indonesia (AFP) Feb 7, 2021 –

An escaped tiger that killed a keeper at a zoo on Borneo island has been captured alive after a day on the loose, police said.

The white Bengal tiger was found wandering in a jungle surrounding Sinka Zoo in the town of Singkawang, West Kalimantan on Saturday, following its escape through a hole.

Another tiger that broke free was shot dead earlier.

"We found and captured the second tiger by sedating it with a tranquillizer," local police chief Prasetiyo Adhi Wibowo told journalists late Saturday.

The pair of 18-month-old female Bengal tigers — previously thought to be Sumatran — escaped from the zoo after days of torrential rain created a hole near their enclosure.

A 47-year-old male zookeeper and several animals were found dead near the tiger cage.

The escape triggered a frantic search involving police, military and conservation officials, while locals were told to stay at home and avoid tourist attractions near the zoo while authorities hunted the animals.

An orange-coloured Bengal tiger was shot dead after a failed attempt to neutralise it with a tranquillizer gun.

Conservationists said they were forced to shoot the endangered animal after it was no longer responding to its keeper and showed aggressive behaviour towards humans.

Indonesia's zoos do not have a good reputation, and some have been reported for animal cruelty.