Over 370 people have died in Southeast Asia as authorities and volunteers continue search, rescue and clean-up operations in tourist hotspots across Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia following days of heavy monsoon rain and landslides.
By AFP — November 29, 2025
The death toll from floods and landslides climbed past 370 as rain-swollen rivers and mudslides devastated swathes of the three countries, leaving thousands stranded and many forced onto rooftops awaiting rescue.
Indonesia has been hardest hit, with authorities saying more than 200 people have been killed. Rescuers struggled to reach remote parts of Sumatra where more than 100 people remain missing. West Sumatra’s disaster agency reported 61 fatalities with 90 people still being searched for, updating an earlier provincial toll of 23. North Sumatra recorded about 116 deaths, while Aceh’s toll stood at at least 35.
National disaster agency (BNPB) head Suharyanto said a cloud seeding operation would begin in West Sumatra to try to reduce rainfall, though most of the downpours had eased by Saturday. “The water in our house has receded, but the entire place is covered in mud,” said Novia, a resident of Pidie in Aceh. “Some of the items in the house are damaged or have fallen, and we haven’t been able to clean them yet.” She added that communities were working together to clear mud. Firda Yusra said he had evacuated with his wife and child to shelter in a mosque alongside about a thousand others.
In southern Thailand, water levels reached nearly three metres (about 10 feet) in parts of Songkhla province. The floods have killed at least 162 people in one of the worst events for the country in a decade. In Hat Yai, workers transferred bodies to refrigerated trucks after morgue capacity was exceeded. Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul apologised for the devastation and pledged to use “all my expertise and dedication to improve the situation,” announcing a two-week timeframe for district cleanup. The Thai government introduced relief measures, including compensation of up to two million baht (about $62,000) for households that lost family members. More than 40,000 people were sheltering in evacuation centres, though some had already returned home, flood relief spokesman Wanchana Sawasdee said.
Malaysia’s foreign affairs ministry said over 6,000 Malaysians stranded after severe flooding in Hat Yai were rescued. Two people were killed in Malaysia after floods inundated parts of northern Perlis state.
The annual monsoon season, typically from June to September, often brings heavy rain and flash floods, but officials said a tropical storm had worsened conditions this week. Climate change has altered storm patterns, increasing rainfall intensity, flash flooding and stronger winds. “Since I was a child until now at 30 years old, this is the worst flood that has ever occurred in our village,” Novia said.
(Edited by : Jerome Anthony)
