By Harshit
JAKARTA, NOVEMBER 30 —
The death toll from catastrophic floods and landslides across Indonesia’s Sumatra island has surged to 417, officials confirmed Sunday, marking one of the deadliest natural disasters to hit the region in years. With nearly 200 people still missing, rescue teams are racing against time amid destroyed infrastructure, relentless rain, and widespread power failures.
Triggered by monsoon rains intensified by rare tropical storm activity, the flooding has ravaged large parts of Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Sri Lanka — leaving hundreds dead, hundreds more missing, and millions affected.
Indonesia has suffered the worst blow. Officials say Cyclone Senyar, an exceptionally rare weather system forming in the Malacca Strait, unleashed landslides and flash floods that devastated entire communities from Aceh in the north to West Sumatra in the south.
Homes Swept Away in Seconds
Residents described a terrifying surge of water and mud that tore through villages with little warning.
“The current was very fast — in seconds it reached the streets and entered the houses,” said Arini Amalia, a resident of Aceh Province. She and her grandmother fled to higher ground, only to return and find their home completely submerged. “It’s already sunk,” she said.
In West Sumatra, survivor Meri Osman recounted being swept away by a torrent after his home suddenly filled with water. He survived by clinging to a clothesline until rescuers arrived.
Another resident of Bireuen, whose house collapsed in the deluge, told Reuters: “During the flood, everything was gone. I wanted to save my clothes, but my house came down.”
Rescue efforts have been severely hampered by continuing storms, blocked roads, collapsed bridges, and power outages across the island. Tens of thousands have been displaced, many spending nights without shelter, food, or clean water.
Pressure Mounts on Government as Crisis Deepens
The worst-hit region, Tapanuli, remains cut off in several areas. Reports of residents breaking into shops for food have added urgency to calls for Jakarta to declare a national disaster, which would release more funds, personnel, and military assets for relief operations.
Electricity and internet service remain only partially restored in several provinces. Entire towns have been left in darkness, with communications limited to satellite phones used by emergency teams.
“The scale of this disaster is enormous,” an official from Indonesia’s disaster agency said. “Hundreds are still trapped or missing, and entire neighborhoods are under water.”
Thailand: Death Toll Rises as Floodwaters Recede
Across the region, the destruction has been staggering. In Thailand, at least 170 people have died, many of them in southern Songkhla Province, where floodwaters rose as high as three meters.
Hat Yai — a city of nearly 200,000 — recorded 335mm of rainfall in a single day, the heaviest in 300 years. Hospitals were overwhelmed; morgue workers resorted to storing bodies in refrigerated trucks due to the sheer volume of fatalities.
“We were stuck in the water for seven days and no agency came to help,” said resident Thanita Khiawhom. More than 3.8 million people across 10 provinces have been affected.
The Thai government has promised compensation of up to two million baht ($62,000) for families who lost loved ones.
Malaysia and Sri Lanka Also Reeling
In neighboring Malaysia, flooding in the northern state of Perlis has displaced tens of thousands, though officials report just two deaths so far.
Further west, Sri Lanka is facing its own catastrophe. The country has been battered by Cyclone Ditwah, which has killed 193 people and left more than 200 missing, according to the Disaster Management Centre.
A state of emergency has been declared as one-third of the country remains without electricity or running water. More than 15,000 homes have been destroyed and 78,000 people forced into shelters.
Weather Experts: Rare Storm Interaction at Play
Meteorologists say the extreme conditions may be linked to an unusual interaction between Typhoon Koto, which swept across the Philippines and toward Vietnam, and Cyclone Senyar, which formed unexpectedly in the Malacca Strait.
Such simultaneous storm activity is extremely rare and likely contributed to enhanced rainfall intensity and widespread ground instability across the region.
While scientists caution against directly attributing individual weather events to climate change, they agree that warming oceans and shifting patterns are increasing the frequency and severity of extreme storms, leading to heavier rainfall and more destructive flooding.