Cyclone Devastation Pushes Indonesian Flood Death Toll to 303
Torrential rains and landslides across Sumatra have left hundreds missing and 80,000 displaced, as aid teams struggle to reach cut-off communities
- The death toll from floods and landslides on the Indonesian island of Sumatra has officially risen to 303.
- The disaster was caused by torrential, cyclone-fuelled downpours intensified by a rare tropical storm in the Malacca Strait.
- In addition to the fatalities, at least 279 people remain missing and approximately 80,000 have been displaced.
Torrential rains and landslides across Sumatra have left hundreds missing and 80,000 displaced, as aid teams struggle to reach cut-off communities.
The number of fatalities resulting from floods and devastating landslides on the Indonesian island of Sumatra has dramatically risen to 303, the nation's disaster mitigation agency confirmed on Saturday.
According to Reuters, this figure marks a significant increase from the previously reported death toll of 174.
The region, encompassing large areas of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand, has been battered by torrential, cyclone-fuelled downpours for over a week, intensified by the rare formation of a tropical storm in the Malacca Strait.
According to Suharyanto, the head of the disaster agency, at least 279 individuals remain missing.
Meanwhile, approximately 80,000 people have been evacuated, and hundreds are still trapped across three provinces on Sumatra, Indonesia's westernmost island.
The hardest-hit areas in the north of the island have seen roads severed and communications infrastructure obliterated by landslides.
Rescuers have resorted to using helicopters to deliver crucial aid and supplies.
"We are currently focused on reopening the route from North Tapanuli to Sibolga [in North Sumatra province], which has been the most severely cut-off for a third consecutive day," Suharyanto told journalists.
He confirmed that rescue teams are attempting to clear a major road blockage caused by a landslide, noting that trapped people are urgently in need of supplies.
To bolster the relief operation, military presence is set to be enhanced from Sunday.
The agency head also reported isolated incidents in the Central Tapanuli area, where desperate individuals affected by the rains attempted to loot supplies.
The disaster has also caused widespread damage across the Malacca Strait in neighbouring Thailand, where the flood death toll in the southern provinces has also escalated to 162, a rise from 145, government spokesperson Siripong Angkasakulkiat confirmed on Saturday.
