Rescue teams in Indonesia are battling around the clock to reach victims trapped in isolated, flood-ravaged areas after a week of cyclone-driven torrential rain triggered catastrophic flooding and landslides across multiple provinces.
Authorities confirmed on Saturday that the death toll has climbed to 248, with the number expected to rise further as more bodies are recovered.
Indonesia’s National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) said at least 248 people have died so far, while over 100 remain missing.
BNPB chief Suharyanto warned that the toll would likely grow because “many bodies are still missing, while many have not been reached.”
More than 500 people have been injured, and many regions remain inaccessible to rescue teams. West Sumatra officials revised their earlier count, confirming 61 dead, 90 missing, 75,219 displaced and 106,806 affected across the province.
In North Sumatra, authorities later reported 116 deaths, while Aceh province recorded at least 35 fatalities.
Nearly 400 killed across Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand
The rare tropical storm that formed in the Malacca Strait has inundated parts of Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand, leaving about 400 people dead across the three countries.
Thailand has recorded 145 deaths in eight southern provinces as of late Friday, with more than 3.5 million people affected by widespread flooding. Malaysia has reported two deaths.
Villages swept away as rivers burst banks in Sumatra
In Indonesia, floodwaters surged through North Sumatra after rivers overflowed, destroying mountainside villages and sweeping away residents. Thousands of homes and buildings have been submerged or flattened, leaving families stranded without shelter.
Relief efforts have been severely hampered by collapsed bridges, flooded and damaged roads, downed communication lines and lack of heavy machinery.
As a result, some of the worst-hit areas remain largely cut off.
Aid airlifts underway as search efforts push on
Relief aircraft are airlifting aid and supplies to remote districts, including the badly hit Central Tapanuli region in North Sumatra.
Despite improved weather conditions after the rain finally eased late Friday, rescuers continue to face immense challenges as they search for survivors and recover victims in areas still buried under mud, debris, and rubble.
Authorities say thousands of families cannot return home, and with many people still missing, the true scale of the disaster has yet to fully emerge.
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