Washington [US], December 2: AFP reported on December 1 that the death toll from floods and landslides in Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and Sri Lanka has risen to more than 1,000.
Separate weather systems have brought torrential rains across Sri Lanka, much of Indonesia's Sumatra island, southern Thailand and northern Malaysia over the past week . The downpours have left people clinging to rooftops awaiting rescue by boat or helicopter, cutting off aid to many villages, according to AFP.
Of the four countries, Indonesia and Sri Lanka were the hardest hit. According to the latest figures released by the Indonesian National Disaster Agency on December 1, the death toll from floods and landslides in the country has risen to 502, with 508 people still missing. This is the highest death toll in a natural disaster in Indonesia since the 2018 earthquake/tsunami that killed more than 2,000 people on the island of Sulawesi, according to AFP. Arriving in North Sumatra province on December 1, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto said that "hopefully the worst is over", and "the government's current priority is how to send the necessary aid immediately", especially focusing on some isolated areas. The Indonesian government has dispatched three warships carrying relief supplies and two hospital ships to some of the most affected areas.
In Sri Lanka, the death toll from floods and landslides caused by Cyclone Ditwah across the country has risen to at least 340, with many more missing, officials said on December 1. The Disaster Management Center said on the evening of November 30 that the rains had stopped after a week of heavy rain, but low-lying areas of the capital Colombo were still inundated, with more than 1,000,000 people affected by the disaster, according to AFP. Military helicopters were deployed to evacuate stranded residents and distribute food.
Meanwhile in Thailand, authorities announced on December 1 that heavy rains and floods have killed at least 176 people and affected about 3 million people in eight southern provinces, according to Reuters. This is one of the deadliest floods in Thailand in a decade. The Thai government has deployed relief measures, but public criticism of the flood response has grown, and two local officials have been suspended for suspected mistakes, according to AFP.
In Malaysia, floods have reportedly killed three people, with 11,600 still in evacuation centers, according to Reuters. The National Disaster Management Agency is on alert for a possible second wave of floods, while ensuring humanitarian aid coordination and immediate response to victims' requests, according to Bernama news agency on December 1.
Source: Thanh Nieu Newspaper