Indonesia’s flood death toll hits 908, hundreds still missing

The governor of hard-hit Aceh warns starvation has become the gravest threat to survivors in remote villages cut off by the devastation

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An aerial photograph shows extensive flooding in Kuala Simpang, Indonesia’s Aceh province, on Friday following heavy rains. Photo: Reuters

Published: 3:36pm, 6 Dec 2025Updated: 7:23pm, 6 Dec 2025

Indonesia’s disaster agency on Saturday reported a rise in the death toll from floods and landslides on the island of Sumatra, saying at least 908 people had been confirmed dead while 410 were missing.

The National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) said the figures covered three provinces – Aceh, North Sumatra and West Sumatra – which had been hit by days of intense rainfall that triggered overflowing rivers, landslides and severe damage to transport infrastructure.

A chain of tropical storms and monsoonal rains has pummelled Southeast and South Asia in recent days, triggering landslides and flash floods from the Sumatran rainforest to the highland plantations of Sri Lanka.

More than 1,790 people have been killed in natural disasters unfolding across Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam since last week.

A home is seen inundated by floodwaters on the outskirts of Colombo, Sri Lanka, on Monday. Photo: AFP

Access in Aceh and North Sumatra has been hampered by dozens of damaged bridges and blocked roads, leaving some villages without electricity, clean water or telecommunications for days.

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