Flood deaths rise to 174 in Indonesia, surge across Southeast Asia

A disaster official reported that 174 people have died as a result of the heavy monsoon rains and floods that have occurred on the western Indonesian island of Sumatra this week. About 80 more have already been killed.

According to National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) chief Suharyanto, “We have recorded that 42 people are still being sought for the entire North Sumatra province as of this afternoon,” according to BNPB’s (BNPB) chief Suharyanto.

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He claimed that West Sumatra and the island’s Aceh province had the highest murder rates and that another 35 had been reported.

He continued, noting that 79 people were still missing and that thousands of families had been displaced even though the rain had stopped.

Residents of Sumatra’s Padang Pariaman region, where 22 people died, were left without access to water levels of at least 1 meter (3. 3 ft) on Friday, despite the fact that search and rescue personnel had already reached them.

Residents of the northern Sumatra town of Batang Toru laid flowers in a mass grave on Friday for seven unclaimed victims. As onlookers covered their noses, the decomposing bodies, which were being lifted from a truck onto a large plot of land, were being transported by crane.

Authorities were restoring power and clearing roads blocked by landslides, according to Abdul Muhari, a spokesman for Indonesia’s national disaster mitigation agency, as communications remained shaky in some areas of the island.

He added that Indonesia would continue to airlift aid and rescue personnel to devastated areas on Friday.

Misniati, 53, described a terrifying battle with rising floodwaters in Indonesia’s West Sumatra province to reach her husband at home.

After beginning her morning prayers at a mosque, she observed that the street was flooded.

The water was already reaching my waist when I attempted to return to my house, she told the AFP news agency, adding that by the time she reached home, she had already told her husband.

Other Asian countries have experienced flooding disasters.

In Thailand, the government reported that floods in eight southern provinces had claimed the lives of 145 people. More than 3.5 million people were affected overall, according to the report.

The rain in Hat Yai, Thailand’s hardest-hit region, finally stopped on Friday, but many residents were still ankle-deep in floodwaters as they assessed the damage to their homes over the past week.

Some residents claimed they were spared the worst of the floods but still experienced their effects.

Tropical storm Senyar made landfall in neighboring Malaysia at midnight, which has since weakened, causing two confirmed fatalities.

Weather-related authorities have warned that rough seas could pose a risk to small boats, and are still preparing themselves for heavy rain and wind.

More than 34, 000 evacuees were still in shelters on Thursday, compared to a total of 30 000.

The Malaysian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Friday that it had already evacuated 1,459 Malaysian nationals staying in more than 25 hotels in Thailand while working to rescue the 300 who are still engulfed in flood zones.