Indonesia floods death toll climbs past 900

More than nine hundred people have died as unprecedented floods continue to ravage Indonesia, with hundreds still missing, officials said on Sunday.

A rare, powerful cyclone that formed over the Malacca Strait last week destroyed over one hundred thousand homes, unleashing torrential rain and landslides across the archipelago.

In the province of Aceh‑Tamiang, one of the hardest‑hit areas, survivors described whole villages being swept away by fast‑moving deluges.

\”We survived by sitting on top of our homes,\” Fitriana, a resident of Lintang Bawah Village, told the BBC Indonesian service. \”Later we moved to the roofs with our four‑year‑old children and lasted three days without food or water.\” She added that about ninety percent of the homes in her village were destroyed, leaving three hundred families with nowhere to go.

Another survivor recounted that water rose to the second floor of his house, forcing his family onto a boat. \”That night the water soaked the mattresses we were sleeping on, and there was no higher ground,\” he said. \”Luckily my daughter‑in‑law’s house had two levels, so we climbed upstairs and survived.\”

The regional governor, citing AFP, said rescue teams are still searching for bodies in waist‑deep mud and that many people are now dying from starvation rather than the flood itself.

Authorities have had to airdrop supplies to cut‑off areas such as Sibolga City and Central Tapanuli, where land routes remain blocked. Indonesian media also reported the temporary release of inmates from a prison threatened by rising waters.

Reports of looting at supermarkets have surfaced in several districts, adding a layer of insecurity to the humanitarian crisis.

The disaster comes amid a wave of extreme weather across Southeast Asia, with the combined death toll in Sri Lanka, Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam approaching two thousand. Ghana’s disaster management agencies are monitoring the situation, drawing parallels with local flood risks and underscoring the need for regional climate‑resilience cooperation.

Rescue operations are ongoing, and officials urge the international community to step up aid as thousands remain without shelter, food or clean water.

Image Source: MYJOYONLINE