More than 270 election workers died and a further 1,800 fell ill in Indonesia due to exhaustion while counting votes by hand.

Voters had many ballots to cast. Photo: AFP

Vote counters worked through the night to count votes cast in nationwide elections in Indonesia on 17 April, often working in sweltering conditions.

It was the first time that the country of 260 million people combined national and regional elections with presidential elections, with the combined vote intended to save money.

As a result, the average voter had to cast five separate ballots on election day. 

The additional workload, however, took its toll on election workers, with officials subsequently confirming that 272 workers died due to being overworked.

Families of deceased workers will receive 36 million rupiah – around €2,000 – as compensation, the BBC reported, citing the Nikkei Asian Review.

Incumbent president Joko Widodo has claimed victory in the election, but the vote counting process has not yet been finalised, and conclusive results for all the polls are not expected for at least another month.