BANGKOK / JAKARTA – Severe flooding triggered by days of torrential rain has killed more than 315 people across Thailand and Indonesia, according to local disaster agencies, marking one of Southeast Asia’s deadliest weather disasters in recent years. Authorities warn that the death toll is likely to rise as rescue teams reach isolated communities and uncover new damage.
Rising Toll Across Southern Thailand
Thailand’s national disaster prevention agency reported at least 145 deaths—most in the southern provinces—after heavy monsoon rains inundated eight provinces.
In Songkhla, the hardest-hit region, government officials confirmed 110 fatalities. Local media outlets in Bangkok and Hat Yai, citing the Ministry of Interior and provincial authorities, published images of rescue teams retrieving bodies from receding floodwaters.
More than 1.2 million households, or 3.6 million people, have been affected across 12 provinces in the country’s south. While flood levels have begun to fall in many areas, the government has declared a state of emergency, warning that conditions remain unstable in parts of Phatthalung, Nakhon Si Thammarat and Satun.
Thailand’s Meteorological Department said rainfall has eased but isolated thunderstorms remain likely due to lingering monsoonal winds. Some remote districts remain cut off, slowing the delivery of food, medical aid and pumps needed to drain submerged neighborhoods.
Sumatra’s Devastation: More Than 170 Dead, Dozens Missing
Across the Andaman Sea, Indonesia is facing its own catastrophe. Authorities in North Sumatra and Aceh provincesreported over 170 deaths, many caused by landslides and flash floods after overflowing rivers swept through mountain valleys.
The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) said dozens of residents remain missing, with early estimates indicating that thousands of families have been displaced to temporary shelters.
Local Indonesian outlets in Medan and Banda Aceh reported widespread power outages and the collapse of parts of the telecommunications network, leaving entire communities unreachable. Police officials noted that washed-out bridges, buckled roads and thick landslide debris have blocked entry to at least 12 districts.
“Some areas are accessible only on foot,” a BNPB spokesperson said. “We lack heavy machinery, so clearing roads is extremely slow.”
The Indonesian Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) warned that a tropical cyclone system is likely to bring further rainfall in the coming days. Seasonal rains—typically from October to March—regularly cause flooding and landslides across the archipelago, but officials said this year’s intensity has surpassed early projections.
Regional and International Responses
Humanitarian groups across Southeast Asia have mobilized. The Thai Red Cross and Indonesia’s Palang Merah are distributing food and medical kits, while UN OCHA said it is monitoring conditions and preparing to coordinate international assistance if requested.
Experts from regional climate centers say warming seas and shifting monsoon patterns—documented in recent ASEAN climate assessments—may be amplifying extreme rainfall. “We are seeing storms that dump more water, more quickly,” said a climate researcher at Chulalongkorn University, speaking to Thai PBS.
Communities Left in Limbo
As the waters slowly recede, the full extent of both disasters is becoming visible: flattened homes, destroyed farmland and widespread infrastructure damage. Local authorities in Thailand and Indonesia caution that recovery may take months.
For now, rescue teams continue to search remote hillsides and riverbanks for survivors—and for those who did not survive—as the region braces for more rain. (hb)