Rescue teams in Indonesia are racing against time to reach survivors stranded in remote, flood-hit regions after a week of cyclone-fueled torrential rains triggered devastating floods and landslides across several provinces. Authorities confirmed on Saturday that the death toll has risen to 248, with the figure expected to increase as more victims are found. More than 100 people remain missing.
According to Indonesia’s National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), over 500 people have been injured, while many affected areas are still inaccessible. BNPB chief Suharyanto warned the toll could rise further as “many bodies remain missing, and several areas have yet to be reached.
In West Sumatra, officials updated their figures to 61 dead, 90 missing, 75,219 displaced, and more than 106,000 affected. North Sumatra has reported 116 deaths, while Aceh has recorded at least 35 fatalities.
Nearly 400 deaths across region as rare storm batters three countries. The unusual tropical storm that formed in the Malacca Strait has also impacted Malaysia and Thailand, bringing the regional death toll to nearly 400. Thailand has reported 145 deaths across eight southern provinces, with flooding affecting over 3.5 million people. Malaysia has confirmed two fatalitie.
Villages destroyed as rivers overflow in SumatraIn Indonesia, swollen rivers tore through communities in North Sumatra, destroying villages, sweeping away residents, and submerging or flattening thousands of homes.
Many families remain trapped without shelter. Search and relief work has been slowed by collapsed bridges, washed-out roads, power outages, and damaged communication networks, leaving some of the hardest-hit areas isolated. Relief aircraft are transporting aid to remote districts, including the severely affected Central Tapanuli region.
Although weather conditions improved after rains subsided on Friday, rescuers continue to struggle through deep mud and debris to locate survivors and recover bodies.
Authorities warn that thousands of families cannot return home yet, and with many people still unaccounted for, the full scale of the disaster is still unfolding.
