Heavy rains began falling on Indonesia's Sumatra island on 26/11. "Floodwaters swept away everything, causing my house to collapse", a resident in Aceh province on Sumatra island said.
By 29/11, over 300 people in Indonesia had died from floods and landslides, including 166 in North Sumatra province, 47 in Aceh province, and 90 in West Sumatra. Nearly 300 people remain missing, and the death toll is expected to rise.
"The floodwaters rose very quickly, overflowing onto the streets and into homes in just a few seconds", said resident Arini Amalia.
Arini and her grandmother fled to a relative's house on higher ground. When she returned the next day to retrieve belongings, she found their entire home submerged by floodwaters.
As floodwaters rapidly rose in West Sumatra province and engulfed her home, Meri Osman was swept away, clinging to a clothesline until she was rescued.
Indonesia's disaster response agency reported that severe weather hampered search and rescue operations. Tens of thousands of people have been evacuated, with hundreds still stranded.
In Songkhla province, southern Thailand, floodwaters rose 3 meters, and at least 145 people died in one of the most severe floods in a decade. The Thai government announced on 29/11 that floods had impacted 10 provinces, claiming over 160 lives and affecting more than 3,8 million residents.
Hat Yai, Thailand's fifth-largest city and part of Songkhla province, received 335 mm of rainfall in a single day, the heaviest in 300 years. As the waters receded, officials reported a rapid increase in fatalities.
At a hospital in Hat Yai, staff resorted to moving bodies into refrigerated trucks due to overcrowded morgues.
"We were isolated by the water for 7 days with no relief efforts reaching us", said Thanita Khiahom, a Hat Yai resident.
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Flooding in Hat Yai city, Songkhla province, Thailand on 26/11. Photo: AFP |
The Thai government pledged relief measures, including 2 million baht (62,000 USD) in aid for families who lost loved ones.
In neighboring Malaysia, the flood death toll was lower, but the damage was equally devastating. Floodwaters submerged many areas in Perlis state, killing two people and displacing tens of thousands.
Sri Lanka is also grappling with one of its most severe flood events in recent years, prompting the government to declare a state of emergency. Over 130 people died, and approximately 170 are missing. More than 15,000 homes were destroyed, about 78,000 people were evacuated, and one-third of the country lacked electricity or running water.
Meteorologists suggest the extreme rainfall and flooding currently affecting Southeast Asia may be due to the interaction between typhoon Koto in the South China Sea and the rare formation of typhoon Senyar in the Malacca Strait.
Huyen Le (According to AFP, BBC)
