Flooding in Thailand, Indonesia, and SL kills more than 1,100

Published on: 01 Dec 2025 at 11:13 PM

Published by: Fact News

Fact News Service, Chandigarh December 1: Indonesia’s president has called for more action to confront climate change as countries across Asia grapple with the aftermath of extreme weather events that have killed more than 1,000 people.

Almost 600 people have been killed on the Indonesian island of Sumatra alone, after devastating flash flooding and landslides brought by monsoonal rain and Cyclone Senyar.

On Monday night, Indonesia’s National Disaster Agency (BNPB) said 593 people had been killed, with more than 450 people still missing.

Sri Lanka is also grappling with the aftermath of Cyclone Ditwah, which killed at least 390 people in the worst flooding seen in the country in decades.

At least 176 people died in Thailand’s south, where severe flooding affected some 4 million people and 1.5 million households.

More than half a million people have been displaced by the widespread flooding and devastation across the provinces of North Sumatra, West Sumatra and Aceh.

Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto visited North Sumatra on Monday, with further visits to flood-ravaged Sumatra likely.

“There are roads that are still cut off, but we’re doing everything we can to overcome difficulties,” he said in North Sumatra.

He said more needed to be done to address climate change.

“We need to confront climate change effectively,” Mr Prabowo told reporters.

“Local governments must take a significant role in safeguarding the environment and preparing for the extreme weather conditions that will arise from future climate change.”

Civil society groups in Indonesia have been urging the president and the national government to declare a state of emergency, to improve and better facilitate relief efforts.

Rainfall has eased in Sumatra, providing some minor relief to rescue crews and authorities, who are desperately trying to clear roads for supplies and restore communication networks.

Many communities, especially in Aceh, remain cut off.

In North Aceh, 28-year-old Misbahul Munir described walking through water that reached his neck to get back to his parents.

“Everything in the house was destroyed because it was submerged,” he told AFP.

“I have only the clothes I am wearing,” he said in tears.

“In other places, there were a lot of people who died. We are grateful that we are healthy.”

Heavy machinery has been unable to access some of the hardest hit areas.

Rescuers from Basarnas, Indonesia’s search and rescue service, have been digging through landslides with simple tools and their bare hands, retrieving bodies and desperately searching for survivors.

“BNPB is prioritising search and rescue, basic needs, and the restoration of transport and communications,” BNPB said in a statement.