More than 1,200 dead from floods in Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Thailand as
rescue efforts intensify
[December 02, 2025]
By BINSAR BAKKARA and NINIEK KARMINI
BATANG TORU, Indonesia (AP) — Emergency crews raced to reach survivors
and recover more bodies Tuesday as the death toll from last week’s
catastrophic floods and landslides surged past 1,200 in Indonesia, Sri
Lanka and Thailand, with more than 800 people missing.
Days of heavy monsoon rains inundated vast areas, leaving thousands
stranded and many clinging to rooftops and trees waiting for help. The
flooding and landslides killed at least 1,277 people, with 686 people
confirmed dead in Indonesia, 410 in Sri Lanka and 181 in Thailand,
authorities said Tuesday. Sri Lanka's president, Anura Kumara
Dissanayake, said it's too early to determine the exact number of dead.
In Indonesia, the hardest-hit nation, rescuers struggled to access
villages on Sumatra island, where roads have been washed out and bridges
collapsed. At least 476 people remain missing, according to the
country’s National Disaster Management Agency. Helicopters and boats
have been deployed, but officials warn that worsening weather and
damaged infrastructure are slowing operations.
Indonesia's forests in ruins
Floods and landslides in North Sumatra carried away millions of cubic
meters of felled timber, officials said, sparking public concern that
illegal logging may have contributed to the disaster.
Batang Toru, the lush forested area, has turned into a wasteland of
broken logs and shattered homes. Roads have vanished, replaced by rivers
of sludge.
“This is not just a natural disaster, it's a manmade crisis,” said
Rianda Purba from the Indonesian Environmental Forum, an activist group.
“Deforestation and unchecked development have stripped Batang Toru of
its resilience. Without urgent restoration and stricter protections,
these floods will become the new normal.”
Survivors desperately search for their loved ones
A week after flash floods and landslides swept through West Sumatra,
survivors were still awaiting news of their loved ones still unaccounted
for.
Zahari Sutra held photos of his missing wife and two daughters aged 4
and 2, as he pleaded for help with rescuers in Sikumbang village in Agam
district. “Other victims have been found ... why not my family?”
The 38-year-old farmer said he dropped his motorbike and ran for higher
ground when rising waters blocked his path to home last Thursday. He
said the raging current swallowed his home as he waded through the water
and shouted for his wife and daughters, but there was only silence.
As darkness fell, he found his eldest, a 5-year-old girl, covered in
mud, but safe. Fearing more floods, Sutra clung to a lychee tree on with
his daughter until dawn, when the full scope of the disaster was
revealed: all homes were gone or buried under tons of mud.
“I carried my daughter and went for help,” he said, his voice breaking.
“My only prayer is to find my wife and children.”
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In this aerial photo taken using a drone, people are seen making
their way on a muddy road at a village affected by a flash flood in
Batang Toru, North Sumatra, Indonesia, Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025. (AP
Photo/Binsar Bakkara)
Sri Lanka counts the dead and Thailand begins cleanup
Military-led rescue teams in Sri Lanka scoured flood-devastated
areas for 336 people still missing in the aftermath of Cyclone
Ditwah, the Disaster Management Center said Tuesday. R oads were
blocked by landslides and bridges have collapsed, making access
difficult.
In the central city of Kandy, residents struggled without running
water, relying instead on bottled water collected from natural
springs. Authorities warned that conditions could worsen as more
rain is forecast in the coming days.
President Dissanayake, speaking in a meeting with government
officials, described the disaster as the worst to strike the country
in recent history, saying it remains impossible to determine the
full scale of casualties. He warned that the death toll is likely
far higher than current figures.
He said that government agencies were working to reach isolated
communities.
Selladurai Yogaraj, 35, a resident of Sarasavigama, said he lost his
entire family: mother, wife and two children. “I can't even think
what life is going to be like,” he said.
Another man, Duraikannu Mahoharan, said he lost his wife, daughter
and a house. "Only my sons and I survived. Now I am staying with my
brother," he said.
In southern Thailand, cleanup has begun on streets and in buildings
after massive floods affected more than 1.5 million households and
3.9 million people. Authorities are working to restore
infrastructure, including water and electricity.
Thailand’s Interior Ministry said Monday it would set up public
kitchens to provide freshly cooked food to affected residents. The
first batch of compensation payments of 239 million baht ($7.4
million) is set to be distributed to 26,000 people, government
spokesperson Siripong Angkasakulkiat also said Monday.
___
Karmini reported from Jakarta, Indonesia. Associated Press
journalists Jintamas Saksornchai in Bangkok and Eranga Jayawardena
in Sarasavigama, Sri Lanka, contributed to this report.
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