Over 1,200 Killed in Asia Floods, Landslides
Catastrophic flooding, landslides, storms, and cyclones have battered Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, and Thailand, forcing authorities into a race against time to evacuate trapped residents, distribute emergency supplies, and calculate the full extent of the destruction.
Indonesia's National Disaster Management Agency confirmed that floods and landslides on Sumatra island alone have killed 686 people, leaving 476 individuals missing.
The calamity has impacted more than 3.2 million people, with over one million displaced residents relocated to secure shelters.
Approximately 2,600 people sustained injuries across flood-ravaged North Sumatra, West Sumatra, and Aceh provinces, the agency reported, while rescue teams press forward with operations to locate those still missing in multiple zones.
Emergency relief continues flowing into various Sumatra regions, with officials deploying food, medical provisions, and critical supplies through aerial and ground shipments to reach cut-off communities in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra.
Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa assured the public that adequate funding exists for emergency operations, noting the National Disaster Mitigation Agency currently has more than Rp 500 billion ($30.07 million) available and ready to be used, a state-run news agency reported.
Landslides and severe inundation have severed roadways in certain areas, hampering authorities' ability to transport heavy equipment, water tankers, generators, and aid packages. "This tool is very much needed to remove soil material in the search for missing victims, clear roads, and distribute clean water," said head of the Agam Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), Rahmat Lasmono.
Indonesia has mobilized all national forces—including military personnel—to accelerate emergency response efforts and bolster civilian administration support.
The disaster marks the nation's deadliest since 2018, when a powerful earthquake and tsunami struck Sulawesi, claiming more than 2,000 lives.
A domestic policy research organization, the Center of Economic and Law Studies, projected that the Sumatra floods could inflict Rp 68.67 trillion (approximately $4.1 billion) in economic damage, media reported.
President Prabowo Subianto faces mounting pressure to declare a national emergency, with West Sumatra Governor Mahyeldi Ansharullah urging the central government to proclaim a national disaster emergency.
Yet Prabowo toured affected zones Monday and stated the worst has passed, emphasizing the government's priority was to swiftly deliver aid to those affected.
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