More than 600 people have been killed in floods and landslides across Southeast Asia, as relief efforts for tens of thousands of displaced people continued over the weekend.
Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand faced large-scale devastation after a rare tropical storm formed in the Malacca Strait, fuelling heavy rains and wind gusts for a week. There were 435 dead in Indonesia, 170 in Thailand, and three deaths reported in Malaysia.
Separately in Sri Lanka, at least 334 people have been killed as a result of floods and landslides triggered by Cyclone Ditwah, with many more still missing.
Rescue and relief officials in the Southeast Asian countries were still trying to get access to many flood-hit areas on Sunday, even as flood waters receded and tens of thousands of people were evacuated across the three countries.
The recent calamity has impacted over 4 million individuals, with nearly 3 million affected in southern Thailand and another 1.1 million in western Indonesia, as per official reports.
Flash flooding has left a trail of destruction in Batipuh village, West Sumatra, Indonesia, damaging homes and a mosque and cutting off road access.
In Sumatra, Indonesia, three provinces have been severely hit by landslides and floods following torrential rains.
From a navy chopper flying over the isolated town of Palembayan in West Sumatra, a Reuters photographer saw large tracts of land and homes swept away by floodwaters.
As the helicopter landed in a soccer field, dozens of people were already standing close by waiting for food.
With roads blocked and telecommunication networks damaged, many regions remain isolated. Rescue teams have resorted to using helicopters to deliver essential aid to those in areas inaccessible by land.
Indonesian soldiers load aid supplies to be sent to flood-affected areas in Sumatra. Source: EPA / Hotli Simanjuntak
In Thailand, the southern province of Songkhla had the highest number of fatalities at 131.
Hat Yai, the largest city in Songkhla, received 335 mm of rain last Friday, its highest single-day tally in 300 years, amid days of heavy downpours.
In neighbouring Malaysia, there are still about 18,700 people in evacuation centres, according to the country’s national disaster management agency. Meteorological authorities lifted tropical storm and continuous rain warnings on Saturday, forecasting clear skies for most of the country.
Parts of the country were battered last week by heavy rain and wind. Malaysia’s foreign ministry said it had evacuated over 6,200 Malaysian nationals stranded in Thailand.
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