The death toll from floods and landslides triggered by cyclonic rains on Indonesia’s Sumatra Island has increased to 303, according to a press release from the country’s disaster mitigation agency. The agency head, Suharyanto, provided the updated figure on Saturday, a significant rise from the previous count of 174 dead.
Suharyanto told journalists that at least 279 people remain missing. Approximately 80,000 people have been evacuated, but hundreds are still stranded across three provinces on Sumatra, Indonesia’s westernmost island. The northern part of the island has been the hardest hit, with roads cut off and communications infrastructure destroyed.
Responders are using helicopters to deliver aid and handle logistics in the isolated northern regions. “We are trying to open the route from North Tapanuli to Sibolga (in North Sumatra province), which is the most severely cut off for a third day,” Suharyanto said. He added that rescue forces are working to clear a road blockage from a landslide, with people trapped on a stretch of road and in need of supplies.
Military presence will be enhanced on Sunday to assist with relief efforts, he said. Suharyanto also noted that there were attempts by those affected to ransack supplies in the badly affected Central Tapanuli area.
The severe weather has impacted large parts of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand for a week, with a rare tropical storm forming in the Malacca Strait. Across the strait in Thailand, the death toll from floods in the country’s south has risen to 162, government spokesperson Siripong Angkasakulkiat said on Saturday. This is an increase from the previous toll of 145.
