Death toll passes 900 in Indonesia, Thailand and Sri Lanka floods

Authorities in Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Thailand are racing to clear debris and find hundreds of missing people after more than 900 died in devastating floods and landslides across the south of Asia.

In the latest example of the impact of the climate crisis on storm patterns and extreme weather, heavy monsoon rains, exacerbated by a tropical storm, have overwhelmed parts of south-east Asia in recent days, leaving thousands of people stranded without shelter or critical supplies.

Meanwhile, in Sri Lanka in south Asia, the death toll from floods and landslides caused by Cyclone Ditwah rose sharply on Sunday to 334, with many more still missing and low-lying areas of the capital, Colombo, under water, authorities say.

It is the worst natural disaster to hit the island in two decades since the devastating 2004 tsunami that killed about 31 000 people there and left more than a million homeless.

President Anura Dissanayake, who has declared a state of emergency, vowed to build back with international support.

“We are facing the largest and most challenging natural disaster in our history,” he said in an address to the nation. “Certainly, we will build a better nation than what existed before.”

In Indonesia, officials say more than 442 people had died and a further 402 were missing as authorities attempted to reach some of the hardest-hit areas of Sumatra island, where thousands of people were stranded without critical supplies.

“The water just rose up into the house and we were afraid, so we fled. Then we came back on Friday, and the house was gone, destroyed,” Afrianti (41) who only goes by one name, told Reuters in West Sumatra’s capital, Padang, where she was sheltering.

She and her family of nine had made a tent shelter beside the single wall that remained of their home.

“My home and business are gone, the shop is gone. Nothing remains. I can only live near this one remaining wall,” she says.

At least two areas of Sumatra island were still unreachable on Sunday, and authorities say they had deployed two warships from Jakarta to deliver aid.

Associated Press reports that some people were struggling to find food and water after deluges triggered landslides, damaged roads and downed communication lines. Videos on social media showed people scrambling past crumbling barricades, flooded roads and broken glass to get their hands on food, medicine and gas.

Some waded through waist-deep flood waters to reach damaged convenience stores.

A police spokesperson, Ferry Walintukan, told AP there were reports of people breaking into shops on Saturday evening and that regional police had been deployed.

“The looting happened before logistical aid arrived,” Walintukan said. “[Residents] didn’t know that aid would come and were worried they would starve.”

The weather conditions and the lack of heavy equipment also hampered rescue efforts. Aid has been slow to reach the hardest-hit city of Sibolga and Central Tapanuli district in North Sumatra.

In Sungai Nyalo village, about 100km from Padang, flood waters had mostly receded on Sunday, leaving homes, vehicles and crops coated in thick grey mud.

Authorities had not yet begun clearing roads, residents told Agence France-Presse, and no outside assistance had arrived.

– The Guardian

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