Indonesia floods death toll passes 500

The death toll from floods that hit Indonesia last week has risen to more than 500, with rescuers still struggling to reach affected areas.

Floods caused by a rare cyclone that formed over the Strait of Malacca affected three provinces and affected about 1.4 million people, according to the government's disaster management agency.

Another 500 people remain missing and thousands more were injured.

Indonesia is just one part of Asia that has been hit by heavy rains and storms in recent days. Thailand, Malaysia and Sri Lanka are also reporting deaths.

In Indonesia, the hardest hit provinces are Aceh, North Sumatra and West Sumatra, with thousands of people still cut off and without vital supplies.

Arini Amalia, a resident of Aceh's Pidi Jaya district, told the BBC the floodwaters were “like a tsunami”.

“According to my grandmother, this is the worst, the worst thing in her life,” Amalia said.

Aid workers have tried to reach people on foot and on motorcycles as many roads are impassable for larger vehicles.

Photos from the region show bridges washed out, roads covered in mud and debris, and logs piled high.

At the iconic Twin Bridge in West Sumatra, where floodwaters swept through and left behind huge amounts of mud and debris, Mariana watched as excavators cleared roads, hoping they would find her missing family members, including her 15-year-old son.

“Looking at the excavators, seeing how thick the mud is… I keep thinking, what condition will my child be in when they find him?” she said. “Will he remain intact? My mother, my son-in-law… Looking at how here, maybe their faces will even cease to be recognized.”

Many are still waiting for food assistance, and some say they have not eaten for two or three days.

Maisanti, who lives in Tapanuli Central, one of the worst-hit areas in North Sumatra, told the BBC that aid workers were unable to reach her area.

“Everything is gone; Our food supplies are running low. We can't eat,” she said. “Now there is a struggle even for instant noodles. Our food is gone, we need food and rice. Access to us is completely closed.”

She said she has to walk several kilometers from her home to get an internet connection and basic necessities such as clean water.

In Central Aceh, where local authorities have provided Starlink devices, thousands of people queued outside the regency office on Sunday evening, hoping to contact their loved ones or charge their mobile phones.

“Five days passed without a signal. We have been waiting since yesterday in case the network is restored. I plan to call my mother in Banda Aceh, but I still can’t contact her,” said one resident named Mar.

As rescue efforts continue, anger over the government's handling of the disaster has begun to rise.

Critics say authorities were ill-prepared for the floods. Some blame bureaucratic red tape for slowing the distribution of food aid.

On Monday, President Prabowo Subianto, who visited some flood-hit areas of North Sumatra, acknowledged that some roads were still cut off but added that “we are doing our best to overcome the difficulties.”

“We face this disaster with steadfastness and solidarity,” he continued. “Our nation is now strong and able to overcome this.”

Floods and landslides have killed nearly 1,100 people in South and Southeast Asia over the past week. Around 355 people have died in Sri Lanka, while the death toll in Thailand has reached at least 176.

However, there is no single weather event that caused the flood. Instead, a combination of weather conditions is to blame.

One element is the northeast monsoon, which affects East and South Asia from about November to March, according to BBC Weather.

As the name suggests, it brings northeasterly winds that bring a lot of rain to the coastal areas exposed to this monsoon flow as moisture is collected from the ocean and deposited on land.

In Sri Lanka, rainfall increased significantly due to Cyclonic Storm Dithwa, which became very slow moving and in some places dropped more than half a meter of rain in a few days.

This storm has now weakened and moved north, bringing rain to southeast India, with the forecast for Sri Lanka looking much drier in the coming days.

On the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra and southern Thailand, Cyclonic Storm Senyar had a similar effect, intensifying the monsoon and dumping more than a meter of rain in some places. It was a particularly rare storm that formed unusually close to the equator, where cyclones do not typically develop.

In Vietnam, the last few weeks have been exceptionally wet, with tropical cyclones intensifying the monsoon rains. Now the remnants of the former Typhoon Koto are drifting towards the coast of Vietnam, threatening even heavier rainfall and further flooding.

Climate change likely also played a role. While global warming is not expected to increase the number of tropical storms and cyclones, those that do occur could be more intense, with heavier rainfall leading to more flooding.