Indonesian and Thai authorities are racing to find hundreds missing as the death toll from devastating floods and landslides across Southeast Asia exceeds 600.
PADANG: Indonesian and Thai authorities raced on Sunday to clear debris and find hundreds of missing people.
The death toll from devastating floods and landslides across Southeast Asia has now topped 600.
Heavy monsoon rain overwhelmed swaths of Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia this week.
Thousands of people were left stranded without shelter or critical supplies.
At least two areas of Indonesia’s worst-affected Sumatra island remained unreachable on Sunday.
Authorities deployed two warships from Jakarta to deliver aid.
Central Tapanuli and Sibolga city “require full attention due to being isolated”, National Disaster agency head Suharyanto said in a statement.
The ships were expected to reach Sibolga on Monday.
The death toll in Indonesia rose to 442, while 402 people were still missing.
At least 646 people had been injured, according to a tally published on Sunday by the disaster authority.
In Sungai Nyalo village, about 100 kilometres from West Sumatra’s capital Padang, floodwaters had mostly receded on Sunday.
Homes, vehicles and crops were left coated in thick grey mud.
Authorities had not yet begun clearing roads, residents told AFP.
No outside assistance had arrived to the village.
“Most villagers chose to stay; they didn’t want to leave their houses behind,” said Idris, 55, who, like many Indonesians, goes by one name.
Across the island towards the north coast, an endangered Sumatran elephant lay buried in thick mud and debris.
The animal was found near damaged buildings in Meureudu town.
In Thailand, at least 162 people were killed in one of the worst floods in a decade.
Authorities continued to deliver aid and clear the damage.
Relief measures rolled out by the Thai government include compensation of up to two million baht for households that lost family members.
However, there has been growing public criticism of Thailand’s flood response.
Two local officials have been suspended over their alleged failures in handling the disaster.
Two people were killed in Malaysia after floods left stretches of northern Perlis state underwater.
The annual monsoon season typically brings heavy rain between June and September.
This often triggers landslides and flash floods across the region.
A tropical storm has exacerbated conditions this year.
The tolls in Indonesia and Thailand rank among the highest in floods in those countries in recent years.
Climate change has affected storm patterns, leading to heavier rainfall and stronger wind gusts.
This has resulted in more intense flash flooding across Southeast Asia.
