Hundreds dead, scores missing as floods ravage Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia is reeling from one of its deadliest bouts of monsoon weather in decades, with hundreds dead and many more missing as exceptional rainfall and rare cyclonic activity wreak devastation across Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia.

Weeks of monsoon downpours, intensified by multiple tropical systems, have triggered catastrophic floods and landslides. Millions have been affected across the region, with Indonesia’s Sumatra island suffering the worst blow. Officials there say the death toll has climbed beyond 300, and rescue teams fear the number could rise sharply as dozens remain unaccounted for. Major routes remain blocked, and power and internet services have yet to be fully restored.

Evacuations are still under way in several districts of Sumatra after Cyclone Senyar, an extremely uncommon storm in the Malacca Strait, unleashed torrents of water that swallowed entire neighbourhoods. “The current was very fast. In seconds it was already in the streets and inside the houses,” Aceh resident Arini Amalia told the BBC. She described returning to her home to find it completely submerged.

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Others recounted similar escapes. Meri Osman, from West Sumatra, said he was swept away by surging floodwaters before grabbing hold of a clothesline until rescuers arrived. A resident in Aceh’s Bireuen district told Reuters that his home collapsed before he could save anything.

Emergency crews say persistent rain and blocked access have slowed relief operations. Although tens of thousands have been moved to safety, hundreds remain stranded, according to Indonesia’s disaster agency. In Tapanuli, one of the worst-hit areas, food shortages have pushed desperate residents to break into grocery stores. The growing crisis has led to calls for Jakarta to declare a national disaster to speed up aid and coordination.

Thailand is also facing its most destructive flooding in a decade. In the southern province of Songkhla, water levels surged up to three metres, killing at least 145 people. Nationwide, more than 160 deaths have been confirmed across ten inundated provinces, with 3.8 million residents affected. Hat Yai city recorded its heaviest single-day rainfall in 300 years, overwhelming hospitals—one facility was forced to store bodies in refrigerated trucks after its morgue reached capacity.

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“We were stuck in the water for seven days and no agency came to help,” Hat Yai resident Thanita Khiawhom told BBC Thai. Authorities have pledged compensation of up to two million baht ($62,000) to families of the deceased.

In Malaysia, the impact has been less deadly but equally destructive. Floods in northern Perlis state have left two people dead and displaced tens of thousands.

Elsewhere on the continent, Sri Lanka is grappling with Cyclone Ditwah, which has killed more than 130 people and left around 170 missing. With a third of the country without water and electricity, the government has declared a state of emergency.

Meteorologists say the extreme weather may be linked to the interaction of multiple storms—including Typhoon Koto near the Philippines—and longer monsoon seasons intensified by climate change, which is fuelling heavier rainfall, more frequent flash floods and stronger winds across the region.