Jakarta: Officials in Indonesia and Sri Lanka are rushing to rescue survivors of massive flooding in isolated areas, as the death toll from the disaster in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Malaysia climbed to more than 1,500.
According to Thai News Agency, survivors are increasingly expressing frustration over delays in rescue and aid delivery, as humanitarian organizations warn the challenge is almost unprecedented. Even in a country already hit by countless natural disasters, this disaster, fueled by heavy monsoon rains and two extremely rare tropical storms, dumped record rainfall in Sri Lanka, parts of Indonesia's Sumatra island, southern Thailand, and northern Malaysia last week.
In Indonesia, the death toll has reached 770, according to the country's disaster management agency yesterday, down from 812 announced earlier in the day. Another 647 people are still missing in three provinces: West Sumatra, North Sumatra, and Aceh. Many areas remain cut off by flood damage, including power outages and communication disruptions. The extreme weather system that hit Indonesia also brought heavy rain to southern Thailand, killing at least 176 people, and two people in Malaysia.
In Sri Lanka, the death toll from Tropical Storm Ditwah, which also brought heavy rains and landslides last week, has risen to 474, while hopes of finding another 366 missing people are fading. Sri Lankan authorities said yesterday that they would need about $7 billion to rebuild homes and infrastructure destroyed by the cyclone, and that foreign financial assistance was essential to support the recovery as the country recovers from its worst economic crisis three years ago.