At least 460 killed in Southeast Asia floods as Indonesia’s death toll rises to 303

The death toll from floods and landslides following heavy downpour and landslides caused by tropical cyclone in Southeast Asia has risen past 400 on Saturday (Nov 29) as the rescue operations are underway in Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia. Heavy monsoons affected large areas of the three countries this week, leaving thousands stranded, and many on rooftops were waiting for rescue to arrive.

In the Indonesian island of Sumatra alone, flooding and landslides killed more than 300 people. Of those, 166 were in North Sumatra province, 90 were in West Sumatra, and 47 were in Aceh, head of the National Disaster agency Suharyanto said, adding that at least 279 people remain missing even as tens of thousands of people have been evacuated. Access to several parts of the most affected provinces remains cut off.

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Extreme weather in Thailand has impacted more than 3.8 million people and damaged over 1.4 million households. In Songkhla province, floodwaters rose as high as three metres (nearly 10 feet). Authorities said the death toll across eight provinces has reached 162, marking one of the country’s worst flooding disasters in a decade.

Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul visited the Shelter home of an evacuee and apologised for the destruction caused by the floods. "I will use all my expertise and dedication to improve the situation," he said, announcing a two-week timeframe for the district's cleanup.

Workers at one of the hospitals in severely hit Hat Yai moved the dead bodies into refrigerated trucks after the mortuaries exceeded capacity.

The Thai government has announced a series of relief measures for flood-affected residents, including compensation of up to two million baht ($62,000) for families who have lost loved ones.

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Two people were killed in Malaysia by flooding caused by heavy rain. The country's foreign affairs ministry said more than 6,000 Malaysians who were stranded by severe flooding in Thailand's Hat Yai had been rescued.