ALBAWABA- The death toll from flash floods and landslides on Indonesia’s Sumatra island has climbed to more than 1,000, with authorities confirming at least 1,030 fatalities, making it one of the country’s deadliest natural disasters in recent decades.
The disaster was triggered by Tropical Cyclone Senyar in late November, when torrential rains unleashed mudslides and floodwaters across Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra.
Entire villages were buried, critical infrastructure destroyed, and more than 1.2 million people displaced. Officials say over 200 people remain missing, more than 5,400 were injured, and reconstruction costs could exceed $3 billion. President Prabowo Subianto has pledged rapid recovery efforts following visits to affected areas.
Rescue and relief operations, involving helicopters, military units, and heavy machinery, are ongoing, though residents have reported delays in aid delivery and shortages of food, clean water, and medicine. Survivors described logs and debris, linked to deforestation, being swept downstream, smashing homes and bridges.
The Sumatra floods are part of wider weather-related devastation across Southeast Asia, with regional fatalities exceeding 1,800 when including Thailand and Sri Lanka.
Indonesia has extended emergency status in the hardest-hit regions, deployed additional military assets, and said it is prioritizing domestic response efforts as attention turns to rebuilding and long-term resilience.
