- Asia
- Southeast Asia
More than 3,200 homes and buildings have been submerged
Niniek Karmini,Kasparman PiliangFriday 28 November 2025 09:47 GMTComments
open image in galleryA flooded neighborhood in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia (Associated Press/Binsar Bakkara)
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Devastating flash floods and landslides have claimed at least 90 lives and left dozens more missing across Indonesia’s Sumatra island, with rescue efforts severely hampered by extensive damage to infrastructure.
Bridges and roads have been destroyed, and heavy equipment is in short supply, making access to affected areas a significant challenge.
The catastrophe, triggered by torrential monsoon rains that caused rivers to burst their banks on Tuesday, has seen mountainside villages inundated.
More than 3,200 homes and buildings have been submerged, forcing approximately 3,000 families to seek refuge in government shelters, according to the National Disaster Management Agency.
North Sumatra province has borne the brunt of the disaster, with at least 48 fatalities and 88 people still unaccounted for.
Police spokesperson Ferry Walintukan confirmed on Friday that mudslides, widespread power outages, and communication blackouts are further impeding search operations across 12 cities and districts.
In West Sumatra province, flash floods have claimed at least 22 lives and left 10 individuals missing across 15 cities and districts. Thousands of homes in Aceh and West Sumatra provinces have also been submerged, many up to their roofs.
open image in galleryA tropical cyclone causing the damage is expected to continue hitting the Southeast Asian nation for days, said Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysical Agency (Associated Press)Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysical Agency warns that a tropical cyclone, which exacerbated the initial damage, is expected to continue battering the region for several more days.
West Sumatra's disaster mitigation agency reported the flooding submerged more than 17,000 homes, forcing about 23,000 residents to flee to temporary shelters. Rice fields, livestock and public facilities were also destroyed and bridges and roads cut off by floods and landslides isolated residents.
Authorities struggled to bring excavators and other heavy equipment over washed-out roads after torrential rains sent mud and rocks crashing onto the hilly hamlets in Aceh province, leaving at least nine people dead and two missing in three villages in Central Aceh district.
The extreme weather was driven by Tropical Cyclone Senyar, which formed in the Strait of Malacca, said Achadi Subarkah Raharjo, the Director of Aviation Meteorology at Indonesia's Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysical Agency.
He warned that unstable atmospheric conditions mean extreme weather could persist as long as the cyclone system remains active.
open image in galleryElsewhere in the island's provinces of Aceh and West Sumatra, thousands of houses were flooded, many up to roofs, (Associated Press)“We have extended its extreme weather warning due to strong water vapor supply and shifting atmospheric dynamics,” Raharjo said.
Senyar intensified rainfall, strong winds, and high waves in Aceh, North Sumatra, West Sumatra, Riau, and nearby areas before dissipating. Its prolonged downpours left steep, saturated terrains highly vulnerable to disasters, he said.
Seasonal rains frequently cause flooding and landslides in Indonesia, an archipelago of 17,000 islands where millions of people live in mountainous areas or near fertile flood plains.
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