Indonesian village

The crimson dye was released through the street of Jenggot in central Java on Saturday.

The area, south of the city of Pekalongan, is famed for its traditional wax and dye batik textiles.

Thousands of social media users shared images of the coloured water washing through the village. A local relief official confirmed they were genuine.

"The red flood is due to the batik dye, which has been hit by the flood," Dimas Arga Yudha told Reuters news agency. "It will disappear when it mixes with rain after a while."

Kepuh village, on Java Island, started deploying the patrols at night last month.

In Indonesian folklore, ghostly figures known as "pocong" are said to represent the trapped souls of the dead.

Indonesia so far has about 4,500 cases and 400 confirmed virus deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.

But there are fears, according to experts, that the true scale of the infection across the country is much worse.