The death toll from devastating floods and landslides on Indonesia's Sumatra island has climbed to 708, with 504 people still missing, according to the country's disaster agency. The figure marks a sharp increase from the 604 deaths reported on Monday.
Heavy monsoon rains and tropical cyclones have wreaked havoc across Asia this week, killing over 1,300 people in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and southern Thailand. In Indonesia alone, approximately 3.2 million people have been affected, 2,600 injured, and one million evacuated from high-risk areas.
Aid efforts are being hampered by blocked roads and broken bridges, leaving some areas inaccessible by road, including Tapanuli Tengah in North Sumatra and Agam in Aceh. In Aceh, one of the hardest-hit regions, markets are running out of essentials such as rice and vegetables, with prices tripling, according to Islamic Relief. The charity warned of severe food shortages if supply lines are not restored within seven days.
The Indonesian government has dispatched 34,000 tonnes of rice and 6.8 million litres of cooking oil to Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra. The World Health Organization is deploying rapid response teams and critical supplies, while strengthening disease surveillance. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus described the disaster as 'another reminder of how climate change is driving more frequent and more extreme weather events.'
Survivors have recounted harrowing escapes from sudden, powerful floodwaters. Gahitsa Zahira Cahyani, a 17-year-old student, said: 'We didn't think we would survive that night... There was no prior warning whatsoever before the water came.' Hundreds of students from her Islamic boarding school fled to safety, some clinging to trees and the mosque's roof.
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka is grappling with its own catastrophic flooding and landslides from Cyclone Ditwah, which has killed 410 people, with 336 missing. President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has declared a state of emergency, calling it the 'most challenging natural disaster in our history.'
