Asia flood deaths at 321, recovery operations step up
The death toll from floods across large parts of Southeast Asia has risen to at least 321 as authorities worked to rescue trapped citizens, restore power and communications and coordinate rescue efforts as waters began to recede.
Large parts of Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand were hit by a week of cyclone-induced torrential rain, and a rare tropical storm formed in the Strait of Malacca.
Authorities said 46 more people died due to the hurricane in the South Asian island nation of Sri Lanka.
Suharyanto, head of Indonesia’s disaster mitigation agency, said at a press conference that 174 people were confirmed dead on Friday on the hard-hit Indonesian island of Sumatra.
He added that although the rain has stopped, 79 people are still missing and thousands of families have been displaced.
While residents of the Padang Pariaman region of Sumatra, where a total of 22 people lost their lives, had to cope with the water level of at least one meter high, search and rescue teams still could not reach them on Friday.
“We are suffering from a shortage of materials and food,” said Mohammed Rais, 40, who had to move to the second floor of his house on Thursday to escape rapidly rising waters.
Residents of Batang Toru town in North Sumatra buried seven unclaimed victims in a mass grave on Friday. Decaying corpses wrapped in black plastic were lifted from the back of a truck onto a large field as onlookers held their noses.
Abdul Muhari, a spokesman for Indonesia’s national disaster mitigation agency, said communications were disrupted in some parts of the island and authorities were working to restore electricity and clear roads blocked by landslides.
The official added that Indonesia will continue to send aid and rescue personnel by air to the affected areas on Friday.
The Thai government announced that 145 people died due to floods in eight provinces in the south. It was stated that more than 3.5 million people in total were affected.
Rain had finally stopped in the southern city of Hat Yai, Thailand’s hardest-hit region, on Friday, but residents were still ankle-deep in floodwater and many were left without power as they assessed the damage done to their properties last week. One said he “lost everything.”
Some citizens said that they had escaped the worst of the flood, but its effects still continued.
“This affects everything for us, in every aspect,” said Somporn Petchtae, 52.
“My house wasn’t under water, but it was like I was stranded on an island because I couldn’t go anywhere.”
In neighboring Malaysia, where two people were confirmed dead, tropical storm Senyar made landfall around midnight and has since weakened. While weather officials are still preparing for heavy rain and wind, they warned that rough seas could pose a risk to small boats.
The number of people evacuated from shelters dropped to 30,000 from more than 34,000 on Thursday.
Malaysia’s foreign ministry said on Friday it had evacuated 1,459 Malaysian citizens stranded in more than 25 flood-affected hotels in Thailand, adding that it would work to rescue 300 people still stranded in flood zones.
