Deadly Deluge: More Than 1,160 Killed in Asia’s Worst Floods in Decades as Leaders Plead for Climate Action
- Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and Thailand are reeling from the aftermath of devastating floods that have claimed over 1,160 lives and displaced hundreds of thousands.
- Entire villages have been destroyed, with survivors describing apocalyptic scenes of destruction and despair.
- Leaders are calling for urgent action on climate change as the region struggles to come to terms with the worst flooding in decades.
- Civil society groups are urging governments to declare a state of emergency to facilitate relief efforts and aid distribution.
In a shocking escalation of the region’s worst floods in decades, more than 1,160 people have lost their lives across Asia, with Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and Thailand bearing the brunt of the devastation. The disasters have left hundreds of thousands displaced, with many more still trapped in their homes or forced to flee to higher ground.
In Indonesia, where nearly 600 people have been killed, President Prabowo Subianto has called for more action to confront climate change, warning that the extreme weather events will only worsen unless urgent action is taken. “We need to confront climate change effectively,” he told reporters during a visit to flood-ravaged North Sumatra.
Civil society groups are urging the government to declare a state of emergency to improve relief efforts and aid distribution. “Local governments must take a significant role in safeguarding the environment and preparing for the extreme weather conditions that will arise from future climate change,” President Subianto added.
In Sri Lanka, where at least 390 people have been killed, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has declared a state of emergency, describing the flooding as the “largest and most challenging natural disaster in our history”. The government has called for international aid and is relying on helicopters to reach those most in need.
Survivors are describing scenes of unimaginable destruction, with entire villages destroyed and many more still inaccessible due to the scale of the devastation. In North Aceh, 28-year-old Misbahul Munir described walking through water that reached his neck to get back to his parents, only to find their home destroyed. “Everything in the house was destroyed because it was submerged,” he told AFP, fighting back tears.
Rescuers are battling to reach those trapped, with heavy machinery unable to access some of the hardest-hit areas. In Indonesia, rescuers from Basarnas, the national search and rescue service, are digging through landslides with simple tools and their bare hands, retrieving bodies and searching for survivors.
The annual monsoon season often brings heavy rain, triggering landslides and flash floods. But the flooding that hit Indonesia, Thailand, and Malaysia was also exacerbated by a rare tropical storm that dumped heavy rain on Sumatra island.
As the region struggles to come to terms with the scale of the devastation, leaders are warning that the worst is yet to come unless urgent action is taken to address climate change. The floods are a stark reminder of the devastating impact of extreme weather events on communities and the urgent need for climate action.