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Catastrophic floodings has displaced more than four million people while death toll is set to climb
Shweta SharmaSunday 30 November 2025 11:40 GMTComments
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The death toll from devastating floods across several Asian countries has surpassed 750, with storms and cyclones battering Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Sri Lanka with their heaviest rainfall in decades.
Millions across Southeast Asia have been affected as the exceptionally rare Cyclone Senyar swept through Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand, while the powerful Cyclone Ditwah pounded Sri Lanka and India.
Over four million people have been impacted by the floods, with nearly three million in southern Thailand and 1.1 million in western Indonesia, according to official statistics.
In Indonesia, the death toll from floods and landslides climbed to 417 on Saturday, up from 174 earlier in the week, the head of the country’s disaster mitigation agency said.
At least 279 people remain missing, even as around 80,000 have been evacuated, and hundreds are still stranded across three provinces in Sumatra, Indonesia’s westernmost region.
Many people in Sumatra were forced to steal food and water to survive, said police spokesperson Ferry Walintukan, adding that regional police had been deployed to restore order.
open image in galleryA general view shows a damaged house in a flooded area in Meureudu, Pidie Jaya district in Indonesia's Aceh province (AFP via Getty Images)"The looting happened before logistical aid arrived," he said. "(Residents) didn't know that aid would come and were worried they would starve."
Videos on social media showed people running past barricades, flooded roads and broken glass to get their hands on food, medicine and gas. Some were seen wading through waist-deep floodwaters to reach the convenience stores.
Relentless downpours began hammering Sumatra on Wednesday, triggering extensive flooding that submerged towns and swept away roads.
open image in galleryLandslide survivors clean the debris in Hanguranketha, Sri Lanka, Saturday (AP)Landslides have cut off entire communities in the island’s north, destroying communications infrastructure and leaving key routes impassable. Helicopters have been deployed to deliver aid and supplies to areas inaccessible for three days.
“We are trying to open the route from North Tapanuli to Sibolga, which has been completely cut off for a third day,” the agency’s chief, Suharyanto, said. Authorities warn the death toll is likely to rise.
In Thailand, 170 people have died, and floods have affected 1.4 million households – roughly 3.8 million people. Heavy rains inundated parts of 12 southern provinces, with deaths confirmed in at least eight, a government spokesperson said in Bangkok.
open image in galleryA woman stands amidst tree trunks that were stranded on a shore following deadly flash floods and landslides, in Padang, West Sumatra province, Indonesia (REUTERS)The extreme weather, meteorologists note, was driven in part by Cyclone Senyar, an unusually rare system that formed in the Strait of Malacca.
Hat Yai, the largest city in Songkhla, received 335mm (13 inches) of rain last Friday, its highest single-day tally in 300 years, amid days of heavy downpours.
In neighbouring Malaysia, the toll is lower, but the scale of damage remains severe.
Widespread flooding has swamped large parts of northern Perlis, leaving two people dead and forcing tens of thousands into temporary shelters.
open image in galleryAn aerial view shows houses partially submerged in floodwaters after heavy rainfall in Kaduwela on the outskirts of Colombo on November 29, 2025 (AFP via Getty Images)Further west, Sri Lanka has been left reeling after Cyclone Ditwah, with the death toll rising to 193 .
More than 228 people are still missing and nearly 78,000 have been displaced, according to the country’s disaster management centre. Officials expect the toll to rise as rescue operations continue.
Videos from the island on Saturday showed homes, roads and farmland engulfed by floodwaters.
Weather experts say the extreme conditions across the region may have been intensified by the combination of Typhoon Koto in the Philippines and the rare Cyclone Senyar in the Malacca Strait.
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