Death toll climbs over 500 as floods, landslides ravage Sumatra

International

THE death toll from catastrophic floods and landslides in Indonesia has surged past 500 after days of torrential rains triggered by a rare tropical storm, officials confirmed.

The disaster — deemed one of the worst in recent years — has left entire communities devastated, with rescue operations continuing amid fears that the casualties may still rise.

According to the country’s national disaster agency, the confirmed fatalities have reached 502, while hundreds more remain unaccounted for.

A report by BBC stated that nearly 508 people are still missing, highlighting the scale of the disaster and the urgency of ongoing search-and-rescue efforts. It is largely in three of Indonesia’s worst-hit provinces: Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra — where rivers overflowed, hillsides collapsed, and entire villages were submerged.

Communities have been left severely damaged.

Reports say that thousands of homes have been destroyed, infrastructure washed away, and many areas remain isolated — with roads and bridges swept off by floodwaters, making access difficult for rescue teams.

Meanwhile, survivors wade through mud and debris in search of food, water and shelter.

Authorities have described the storm — which originated over the Malacca Strait — as unusually powerful and destructive, bringing heavy rainfall, flash floods and landslides in a short span of time.

The rare, intense weather event is believed to have compounded the usual vulnerabilities in flood-prone areas of Sumatra and surrounding regions.(Victoria Diana, USJR Comm Intern)