Indonesia, Thailand race to find missing as flooding toll tops 600
Heavy monsoon rain has flooded large swaths of Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia this week, leaving thousands of people stranded without shelter or critical supplies.
At least two areas of Indonesia’s worst-hit Sumatra island were still inaccessible on Sunday, and officials said they had deployed two warships from Jakarta to deliver aid.
Central Tapanuli and Sibolga city “require full attention due to their isolation,” National Disaster agency chief Suharyanto said in a statement, adding that the ships were expected in Sibolga on Monday.
Indonesia’s death toll has risen to 442, while 402 people remain missing, according to a count released by the disaster authority on Sunday.
It was stated that at least 646 people were injured. In the village of Sungai Nyalo, about 100 kilometers (62 miles) from West Sumatra’s capital Padang, floodwaters mostly receded on Sunday, covering homes, vehicles and crops in thick gray mud. Residents told AFP that authorities had not yet started clearing the roads and no outside help had arrived.
“Most villagers chose to stay; they didn’t want to leave their homes behind,” said Idris, 55, who, like many Indonesians, goes by one name.
Towards the island’s northern coast, near damaged buildings in the town of Meureudu, an endangered Sumatran elephant was buried in thick mud and debris.
public criticism
In Thailand, where at least 162 people died in the worst floods in a decade, authorities continued to provide aid and repair damage.
Relief measures introduced by the Thai government include compensation of up to two million baht ($62,000) to households that have lost family members.
But there is growing public criticism of Thailand’s response to the flood, and two local officials have been suspended over alleged failures.
In Malaysia, two people died due to floods that submerged parts of the northern Perlis state.
The annual monsoon season, typically between June and September, often brings heavy rainfall, causing landslides and flash floods.
A tropical storm has worsened conditions, and tolls in Indonesia and Thailand are among the highest flooding in those countries in recent years.
Climate change has affected storm patterns, including the length and intensity of the season, leading to more precipitation, flash floods and stronger winds.
