Indonesia floods claim over nine-hundred lives

(MENAFN) The death toll from recent flooding in Indonesia has risen above 900, with hundreds more reported missing, according to general reports. The disaster struck after an unusually powerful cyclone formed over the Malacca Strait last week, unleashing torrential rains and landslides that destroyed more than 100,000 homes in parts of the country. Relief teams continue efforts to reach isolated areas, often relying on airdrops to deliver aid.

This catastrophe is part of a series of extreme weather events affecting Asia in recent weeks, with combined fatalities in Sri Lanka, Thailand, Malaysia, and Vietnam approaching 2,000. In Aceh Tamiang, one of the worst-hit regions, survivors described entire villages being swept away by rapidly moving floodwaters.

One resident of Lintang Bawah Village explained that people survived by clinging to the roofs of their homes. Fitriana recalled, "There were also those who survived on the roofs of their houses with their four-year-old children, for three days without eating or drinking." She added that roughly 90% of homes in her village were destroyed, leaving around 300 families homeless.

Another survivor described being evacuated by boat from his flooded home, only to face further displacement in a nearby village. "That night, while we were sleeping, water suddenly soaked the mattresses we were sleeping on [in Gampoeng Dalam Village]. But we couldn't go anywhere else, because there was no higher ground. Luckily, my daughter-in-law's house was on two levels. So we climbed upstairs and that's where we survived," he said.

The region’s governor reported that search teams were still combing through “waist-deep” mud for victims. "Many people need basic necessities. Many areas remain untouched in the remote areas of Aceh. People are not dying from the flood, but from starvation. That's how it is," he said.

In some areas, prison inmates were released when rising waters threatened facilities, with authorities noting there was no alternative location for them. Land access remains cut off to Sibolga City and Central Tapanuli, with aid being delivered only by air or sea. Reports have also emerged of looting at supermarkets in several affected areas as communities struggle to survive.

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