By Obinna Uballa
The death toll from devastating floods and landslides across Asia has soared beyond 1,000, as authorities in the worst-hit Sri Lanka and Indonesia deployed troops, warships, and helicopters in a desperate push to reach stranded communities.
Torrential rainfall, intensified by overlapping weather systems and the region’s monsoon season, pounded Sri Lanka, Indonesia’s Sumatra, southern Thailand and northern Malaysia last week, triggering widespread destruction and leaving entire villages cut off, reports said.
Scientists warn that climate change is fuelling more violent rain events, accelerating storms and overwhelming already-vulnerable communities.
In Indonesia, where at least 502 people have been confirmed dead and more than 500 remain missing, President Prabowo Subianto visited North Sumatra on Monday, expressing cautious optimism.
“The worst has passed, hopefully,” he said, adding that the government’s top priority was delivering aid to isolated areas. Pressure has mounted on Prabowo to declare a national emergency, something he has so far resisted, along with calls to request international assistance.
The country has mobilised three warships packed with relief supplies and deployed two hospital ships to devastated regions where roads are washed away and tens of thousands remain displaced.
At an evacuation centre in North Aceh, 28-year-old Misbahul Munir recounted wading through neck-deep water to reach his parents. “Everything in the house was destroyed,” he told AFP through tears. “I have only the clothes I am wearing.”
In Sri Lanka, where at least 355 people have been killed and another 366 are missing, authorities called for international help as Cyclone Ditwah unleashed widespread flooding and landslides.
Military helicopters have been dropping supplies and rescuing stranded residents, though one aircraft crashed north of Colombo on Sunday, killing the pilot.
Colombo saw its floodwaters peak overnight, with some shops reopening as rains eased. But officials warn that the true extent of devastation, especially in the mountainous central region, is only becoming visible as landslides are cleared.
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who declared a state of emergency, described the catastrophe as “the largest and most challenging natural disaster in our history,” making it Sri Lanka’s worst tragedy since the 2004 tsunami.
Across the region, the impact has been staggering:
Thailand: At least 176 people have died in southern provinces – one of the country’s deadliest flooding events in a decade. Public anger is mounting over the government’s response, leading to the suspension of two local officials.
Malaysia: Heavy rains in Perlis state killed two people and displaced hundreds as rivers overflowed.
Experts say the unusually intense rainfall was worsened by a rare tropical storm that struck Sumatra, compounding monsoon effects across neighbouring countries.
