Rescue teams in Indonesia are trying to locate at least 400 people still unaccounted for after rains of Cyclone Senyar triggered severe flooding and landslides nearly a week ago. Many of the missing are feared to be trapped beneath mud and debris, BBC reports.
The government says the death toll on Sumatra has climbed above 440. Aircraft and ships have delivered aid to several damaged areas yet some communities remain entirely cut off with no supplies reaching them. Reports have emerged of people taking food and water from shops as they struggled to survive.
Cyclone Senyar leaves widespread destruction
Much of South and South East Asia has been battered by extreme weather this month. Torrential rain has caused widespread damage in Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines and Sri Lanka affecting millions and leaving more than 900 people dead.
Indonesia was struck by the rare tropical storm Cyclone Senyar which unleashed destructive landslides and floods that swept away homes and submerged thousands of buildings. According to the National Disaster Management Agency people remain missing in Aceh North Sumatra and West Sumatra.
Agency chief Suharyanto told AFP that Central Tapanuli and Sibolga were cut off and required urgent attention. Ships were expected to reach Sibolga on Monday.
International help has begun to arrive. Malaysia has sent medical supplies to Aceh which is among the worst affected regions. In Sungai Nyalo around 100 kilometres from West Sumatra’s capital Padang floodwaters had mostly drained by November 30 leaving thick grey mud over homes vehicles and farmland. Residents told AFP that roads had not been cleared and no outside aid had reached the village.
«Most villagers chose to stay. They did not want to leave their houses,» a 55-year-old resident named Idris said.
Police spokesperson Ferry Walintukan confirmed that officers had been deployed after reports of break-ins on Sumatra.
«The looting happened before logistical aid arrived,» he said. «Residents did not know help was coming and feared they would starve,» he told AP.
Tech entrepreneur Elon Musk has also pledged free Starlink services to support communications during the crisis.
Regional storms trigger political crisis in the Philippines
Severe floods have claimed at least 170 lives in Thailand with further deaths reported in Malaysia. Sri Lanka has recorded more than 330 deaths from floods and mudslides in what officials describe as one of the country’s worst weather emergencies in years. Waters have receded in some areas but parts of Colombo remain under water and many central regions are still inaccessible.
In the Philippines anger over a separate flood disaster has fuelled mass protests. Tens of thousands marched again on Sunday amid claims that funds earmarked for flood control were lost to corruption. More than 200 people died in recent flooding and campaigners say government failures left communities exposed.
The rallies in Manila were organised by the Roman Catholic Church and by unions students and left-wing groups. They accuse officials of diverting money intended for flood defences. President Ferdinand «Bongbong» Marcos Jr has dismissed the allegations but has already removed several officials he says were involved. One former politician now in hiding has accused the president himself of overseeing the corruption which Marcos Jr calls political propaganda.
Tensions have risen within the government. The president’s sister Senator Imee Marcos has joined his critics and Vice-President Sara Duterte says she is ready to assume the presidency if he is forced out although she faces separate corruption claims.
Whether the demonstrations grow in the coming weeks may decide Marcos Jr’s fate. He will be mindful that two former presidents including his father were removed by popular uprisings driven by corruption scandals.
