southeast Asia Floods and landslides Claim Over 460 Lives
Padang, Indonesia – Torrential rains and landslides across indonesia and thailand have resulted in at least 460 deaths, with numbers continuing to rise as rescue efforts proceed and the scale of the devastation becomes clearer. The disaster, exacerbated by a recent tropical storm and linked to shifting climate patterns, has left communities reeling and prompted apologies from Thai officials over perceived shortcomings in flood management.
In Indonesia, the hardest-hit region is West Sumatra province, where landslides triggered by heavy rainfall have killed at least 34 people, according to authorities. Rescue teams are still searching for dozens missing in the area.
Neighboring Thailand is facing its worst flooding in years, particularly in the southern province of Songkhla. At least 373 deaths have been reported in Thailand, with the city of Hat yai particularly affected. Workers at one hospital in Hat yai where forced to use refrigerated trucks to store bodies as the morgue reached capacity. The city received 335mm (13 inches) of rain last Friday - its highest single-day rainfall in 300 years.
“We weren’t thinking about anything else except surviving,” Amphorn Kaeophengkro, a Hat Yai resident, told Reuters, describing how she and seven family members spent 48 hours sheltering on furniture above floodwaters.
The Thai Prime Minister, Anutin Charnvirakul, visited an evacuation shelter in Hat Yai on Friday and publicly apologized for the government’s handling of the crisis. “I really have to apologise to them for letting this happen during the time I am in government,” he said in televised remarks. He announced a two-week timeframe for clean-up efforts in the district. The government has pledged compensation of up to 2m baht ($62,000, £46,800) for households that lost family members.
Beyond the immediate loss of life, the floods have caused widespread damage to infrastructure and livelihoods. Shop-owner Rachane Remsringam, whose store Madam Yong was looted and vandalised, lamented “hundreds of thousands of dollars” in losses. Public criticism of Thailand’s flood response is growing, leading to the suspension of two local officials. An MP from the opposition People’s party stated the governance “wrongly estimated the situation” and made “errors in handling the flood crisis.”
Flooding also impacted Malaysia, with two deaths reported in the northern Perlis state.
The annual monsoon season, typically lasting from June to September, frequently enough brings heavy rainfall and associated hazards. However,experts note that climate change is altering storm patterns,contributing to heavier rainfall,flash flooding,and stronger winds. The current disaster ranks among the most severe flood events in recent years for both Indonesia and Thailand.
