Floods in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand & Malaysia kill more than 1,400 people

BATANG TORU, Dec 3: Catastrophic floods and landslides triggered by days of torrential rain have devastated parts of Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Malaysia, killing more than 1,400 people and exposing sharp economic inequalities in the region’s disaster response capacities.
Indonesia has suffered the highest toll, with at least 753 deaths, followed by Sri Lanka with 465, though Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake cautioned that the final number remains uncertain.
Thailand has confirmed 185 deaths and Malaysia three. More than 1,000 people remain missing across the affected countries.
Rescue teams are struggling to reach isolated communities as power and telecommunications outages persist.
In Indonesia, washed-out roads, collapsed bridges and continuing landslides have left many areas cut off.
The government says about 650 people are still unaccounted for in North Sumatra, West Sumatra and Aceh, and more than 1.5 million residents have been displaced.
With hospitals overwhelmed and around 2,600 injured, authorities have deployed three hospital ships to provide medical support.
The disaster has highlighted stark differences in national response capabilities. Indonesia and Thailand—both middle-income countries—have been able to mobilise military assets, emergency funds and extensive rescue operations.
Sri Lanka, still recovering from a severe economic crisis and under an IMF bailout program, faces acute resource shortages, weakened public services and limited foreign exchange.
These constraints have made its disaster response far more difficult, forcing the government to seek diplomatic support and international assistance for relief and reconstruction.
The floods are expected to further strain Sri Lanka’s fragile economy, with major rice-growing and vegetable-producing regions devastated, increasing pressure on already scarce foreign currency reserves.
India, Pakistan, the UAE and other partners have launched relief efforts, pledging continued support.
In Thailand, recovery operations are progressing, with water and electricity restored to most affected areas.
The government has disbursed more than 1 billion baht (US$31.3 million) in compensation to over 120,000 households. (AP)