Indonesia's disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho - who shot to international fame for keeping up a 24/7 schedule while battling terminal cancer - has died at the age of 49.

Affectionately known as Pak Topo (Mr Topo), Nugroho was the face of government efforts to get word out on the latest developments in a string of natural disasters, including a quake-tsunami that killed thousands on Sulawesi island in 2018.

He died early Sunday at a hospital in Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong Province, where he was undergoing treatment for cancer which had spread to his bones and several vital organs.

Nugroho held a PhD in natural resources and the environment, with an expertise in hydrology and cloud-seeding. He spent years as a researcher and dreamed of becoming a professor, rejecting offers to take up the government spokesman job three times ­until his then boss convinced him that his background would earn him the public's trust. He took the position in 2010.

Widely recognized in Indonesia, Nugroho regularly updated his nearly 200,000 followers on Twitter and 70,000 followers on Instagram.