By The South Asia Times

JAKARTA - Widespread flooding and landslides triggered by severe monsoon rains and tropical storms have swept across several Asian nations — with the worst-hit countries including Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Malaysia — leaving nearly 1,300 dead and more than 800 missing while millions displaced. 

According to Indonesian Diaster Managment Agency, so far 712 people lost lives while over 500 still missing.

The devastating flood also affected more than 3.3 million people and over 1.1 million displaced.

• In Indonesia — especially across the island of Sumatra — at least 712 people are dead and hundreds remain missing, as devastation stretches across provinces such as Aceh, North Sumatra and West Sumatra.

• In Sri Lanka, flooding and landslides have claimed 410  lives, with over 330 unaccounted for.

• Thailand has reported 176 fatalities so far, especially in its southern provinces, where cities such as Hat Yai have seen record rainfall and widespread flooding.

• In Malaysia, floods have killed at least 3 people, while thousands are evacuated and many areas remain under threat from high waters.

Rescue, Relief, and Humanitarian Response

Governments across the region have mobilized military and emergency services to assist with evacuations, deliver aid, and search for missing people. In remote or cut-off areas, helicopters, naval vessels, and boats remain the only viable means of reaching stranded communities. 

Millions have been displaced; entire towns and villages are submerged or destroyed, and basic infrastructure — roads, bridges, power and communications — has been decimated in many parts, complicating rescue and relief efforts.

Authorities warn that the situation remains fragile. With ongoing rains in some regions and unstable terrain, the risk of further floods and landslides remains high. Aid agencies are racing against time to deliver food, clean water, shelter, medical support — and to reach remote communities still cut off from help.

 What’s Behind the Disaster

Weather experts highlight that a rare cluster of tropical cyclones, coupled with intense monsoon rains, triggered the floods and landslides. The convergence of these extreme weather events — possibly exacerbated by climate change — overwhelmed already vulnerable landscapes across the region. 

Many communities described the floods as unlike anything they’ve ever seen. Survivors recount rushing floodwaters carrying debris, destroyed homes, and uprooted trees — with some narrowly escaping with their lives by clinging to trees or makeshift rafts.