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03-12-2025
JAKARTA: The death toll from devastating floods and landslides in Indonesia has risen to 700, according to a tally published by the national disaster agency, as desperate people hunt for food and water.
The National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) on Sunday said 402 others were still missing as authorities raced to reach parts of hardest-hit Sumatra Island, where thousands of people were stranded without critical supplies.
Another 402 people are missing in Indonesia’s three provinces of North Sumatra, West Sumatra and Aceh, according to the agency.
At least 600 people have died across Southeast Asia as heavy monsoon rains overwhelm swathes of Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia. The deluges also triggered landslides, damaged roads, and downed communication lines.
The floods in Indonesia displaced thousands of people, with at least two cities on Sumatra Island still unreachable on Sunday. Authorities said they deployed two warships from Jakarta to deliver aid.
“There are two cities that require full attention due to being isolated, namely Central Tapanuli and Sibolga,” BNPB head Suharyanto said in a statement.
The ships were expected in Sibolga on Monday, he said.
Desperate situation
The challenging weather conditions and the lack of heavy equipment also hampered rescue efforts. Aid has been slow to reach the hardest-hit city of Sibolga and the Central Tapanuli district in North Sumatra.
Videos on social media show people scrambling past crumbling barricades, flooded roads and broken glass to get their hands on food, medicine and gas.
Some even waded through waist-deep floodwaters to reach damaged convenience stores.
The annual monsoon season, typically between June and September, often brings heavy rain, triggering landslides and flash floods.
A tropical storm has exacerbated conditions, and the flooding tolls in Indonesia and Thailand rank among the highest in those countries in recent years.
Climate change has affected storm patterns, including the duration and intensity of the season, leading to heavier rainfall, flash flooding and stronger wind gusts.
In neighboring Malaysia, the death toll is far lower, but the damage is just as devastating.
Flooding has wreaked havoc and left parts of Perlis state underwater, with tens of thousands forced into shelters.
Elsewhere in Asia, Sri Lanka has been battered by Cyclone Ditwah, with at least 193 people killed and more than 200 missing, according to the Disaster Management Centre.
Sri Lanka is also grappling with one of its worst weather disasters of recent years, and the government has declared a state of emergency.
More than 15,000 homes have been destroyed and some 78,000 people forced into temporary shelters, officials said. They added that about a third of the country was without electricity or running water.
In Thailand’s southern Songkhla province, water rose 3m (10ft) and at least 145 people died in one of the worst floods in a decade.
Across the 10 provinces hit by flooding, more than 3.8 million people have been affected, the government said on Saturday.
The city of Hat Yai experienced 335mm of rainfall in a single day last week, the heaviest in 300 years. As waters receded, officials recorded a sharp rise in the death toll. (Int’l Monitoring Desk)
