Jakarta, Indonesia – Devastating floods and landslides across the island of Sumatra have resulted in a staggering humanitarian crisis, with the death toll now exceeding 631, according to the latest figures released by Indonesia’s National Disaster Management Agency on Tuesday.
The disaster has displaced an estimated one million people, forcing them to seek refuge in temporary shelters. The agency reports that 472 individuals remain missing, and over 2,600 have been injured across three provinces in the western region of the archipelago.
The scope of the catastrophe has become increasingly clear since torrential monsoon rains lashed vast areas of Sumatra last week, causing rivers to overflow, triggering widespread landslides, and submerging entire communities. The crisis has impacted the lives of over 3.3 million people.
North Sumatra province has been particularly hard hit, with 283 confirmed fatalities. Authorities have also reported 165 deaths in West Sumatra and 156 in the Aceh province, located at the northern tip of Sumatra.
The floods and landslides, which have also affected neighboring countries including Thailand, Malaysia, and Sri Lanka, have claimed the lives of approximately 1,200 people across the region, with hundreds still unaccounted for. Relief efforts are underway, but the scale of the devastation presents significant challenges to rescue and aid workers.
