Tragic Southeast Asia Floods Claim Over 400 Lives as Recovery Efforts Intensify

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The death toll from devastating floods and landslides in Southeast Asia climbed past 400 on Saturday as clean-up and search-and-rescue operations got underway in Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia.

Rescuers in Indonesia were struggling to reach the worst-affected areas of Sumatra island, where more than 270 people were still missing.

Flooding and landslides in Indonesia have killed more than 300 people, according to the latest figures from the disaster authority on Saturday.

In the recent weather events, North Sumatra province experienced 166 incidents, while West Sumatra reported 90, and Aceh counted 47.

Tens of thousands of people have been evacuated, although access to many parts of those three provinces remains cut off, National Disaster agency head Suharyanto said.

Authorities announced during a press briefing that a cloud seeding initiative was underway in West Sumatra to mitigate rainfall, which had largely decreased by Saturday.

The Thai government has introduced support measures for flood victims, offering compensation of up to two million baht (approximately AUD$95,000) to families that have suffered loss of life.

Water levels reached three metres in Songkhla province in southern Thailand and killed 162 people in one of the worst floods in a decade.

Workers at one hospital in hard-hit Hat Yai moved bodies into refrigerated trucks after the morgue exceeded capacity.

Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul apologised for the destruction caused by the floods.

“Whenever there are losses, deaths, or injuries, it’s always the prime minister’s fault,” he said on Saturday.

“I will use all my expertise and dedication to improve the situation,” he said, announcing a two-week timeframe for the district’s cleanup.

Meanwhile, severe flooding has impacted numerous residents in the state of Perlis, located in northern Malaysia. Source: AFP / Mohd Rasfan

An aerial view shows residential areas surrounded by flood waters

There has been growing public criticism of Thailand’s flood response, and two local officials have been suspended over their alleged failures.

An MP from the opposition People’s Party criticised the administration, saying it “wrongly estimated the situation” and made “errors in handling the flood crisis”.

The annual monsoon season, typically between June and September, often brings heavy rain, triggering landslides and flash floods.

A tropical storm has exacerbated conditions, and the tolls in Indonesia and Thailand rank among the highest in floods in those countries in recent years.

Climate change has affected storm patterns, including the duration and intensity of the season, leading to heavier rainfall, flash flooding and stronger wind gusts.

“Since I was a child until now at 30 years old, this is the worst flood that has ever occurred in our village,” said Novia, a resident of Pidie in Aceh.

“There were floods before… but it wasn’t like this.”