More than 500 people have died across Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand after torrential rains triggered massive floods and landslides, officials said on Sunday, as rescue and relief operations continued for tens of thousands of displaced residents.
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A rare tropical storm that formed in the Malacca Strait brought a week of severe rainfall and destructive winds, causing widespread devastation. Indonesia has so far recorded 336 deaths, Thailand 170, and Malaysia two fatalities.
Authorities across the three countries are still struggling to reach several flood-hit regions, even as water levels begin to recede. Nearly 4 million people have been affected — including almost 3 million in southern Thailand and 1.1 million in western Indonesia, according to official figures. Tens of thousands remain in evacuation centres.
Separately, Sri Lanka reported 153 deaths caused by a cyclone sweeping across the island nation. Another 191 people are missing, and over half a million have been affected nationwide.
Indonesia
In Indonesia, rescue teams deployed helicopters to deliver aid to remote areas of Sumatra, where landslides and flooding destroyed homes and infrastructure across three provinces. Roads leading to several districts remain blocked.
A Reuters photographer travelling aboard a navy helicopter captured scenes of entire expanses of land and homes swept away near the isolated town of Palembayan in West Sumatra. Dozens of survivors gathered at a soccer field where the helicopter landed, desperate for food and assistance.
Officials confirmed reports of looting in some areas as supplies run dangerously low. Across the affected regions, 289 people remain missing and more than 213,000 have been displaced.
Thailand and Malaysia
Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health reported 170 deaths from flooding in southern provinces, with Songkhla alone accounting for 131 fatalities. Hat Yai, the region’s largest city, recorded 335 mm (13 inches) of rainfall on Friday — its highest single-day total in three centuries.
In neighbouring Malaysia, around 24,500 people remain in evacuation centres, though meteorologists lifted storm and continuous rain alerts on Saturday, predicting clearer weather ahead. Malaysia faced heavy rainfall and strong winds last week, prompting the evacuation of more than 6,200 nationals stranded in Thailand.
Malaysia’s foreign ministry also issued an advisory urging citizens in West Sumatra to register with the local consulate for assistance. One Malaysian, a 30-year-old man, has been reported missing following a landslide in the area.
