More than 1,000 dead as floods devastate Asia

More than 1,000 people have died after catastrophic flooding and landslides hit Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Sri Lanka in recent days, authorities said.

Indonesia reported the highest death toll at 502, with 508 people still unaccounted for, the national disaster management agency said on Monday.

Sri Lanka has recorded at least 340 deaths, officials said, with many people still missing. Waters in Colombo reached their peak overnight but were expected to start dropping after rainfall stopped.

Both countries have sent in troops to support rescue operations as emergency teams push to reach survivors in badly affected areas.

Southern Thailand has seen at least 176 deaths, making it one of the country’s worst flooding disasters in ten years, officials said.

Two people have died in Malaysia’s northern Perlis state.

Sri Lanka seeks international help

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake declared a state of emergency on Saturday and asked other countries for help, describing Cyclone Ditwah’s impact as Sri Lanka’s most challenging natural disaster.

By Sunday, the storm had flattened more than 25,000 houses and pushed 147,000 people into government-run emergency shelters. Another 968,000 people needed help after losing their homes to flood waters.

It marks Sri Lanka’s worst natural disaster since 2017, when floods and landslides killed more than 200 people and forced hundreds of thousands from their homes.

Unprecedented rainfall from Thursday triggered landslides across the mountainous interior whilst swollen rivers engulfed whole towns.

More than 24,000 troops, police officers and air force personnel are still working to reach cut-off families, authorities said. India and Japan are among several countries that have sent emergency supplies.

Indonesia struggles with aid delivery

Cyclone Senyar swept across the Malacca Strait last Wednesday before hitting land, dumping torrential rain that caused flash flooding and landslides in North Sumatra. The storm then tracked through Aceh and West Sumatra.

Around 2,500 people have been injured alongside the 502 confirmed dead and 508 missing, official figures showed on Monday. Damaged roads and communications infrastructure have left some districts completely cut off, forcing authorities to fly in supplies by aircraft.

Rain has eased over the past two days, but many survivors have gone without food whilst others cannot get clean drinking water. Local media have reported looting in parts of Aceh and North Sumatra as desperation grows.

President Prabowo Subianto faces mounting calls to declare a national emergency but has not asked other countries for assistance, unlike his counterpart in Sri Lanka. Critics have blamed slow aid distribution on excessive red tape.