The death toll from catastrophic floods and landslides following cyclonic rains on the Indonesian island of Sumatra has risen to 303, authorities reported.
Vast areas of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand have been battered by relentless torrential rains for over a week, with a rare tropical storm forming in the Strait of Malacca.
At least 279 people remain missing, while around 80,000 have been evacuated. Hundreds are still stranded across three provinces on Sumatra, the westernmost island of Indonesia.
Rescue and relief teams are deploying helicopters to deliver essential aid and provide logistical support in the northern regions, which have been heavily impacted by cut-off roads and destroyed communication infrastructure due to landslides.
The disaster exposes critical weaknesses in regional disaster preparedness and infrastructure resilience, highlighting the urgent need for long-term climate adaptation and emergency response improvements in the face of increasingly frequent extreme weather events.
