Batangtoru, Indonesia – The death toll from last week’s catastrophic floods and landslides in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and Thailand has tragically surged past 1,300 with rescue efforts hampered by damaged infrastructure and ongoing severe weather. Authorities confirmed that more than 800 people remain missing across the three nations following days of heavy monsoon rains and cyclones.
The confirmed death toll breakdown highlights the immense scale of the disaster:
• Indonesia: At least 712 people confirmed dead, with 507 still missing, predominantly on Sumatra island.
• Sri Lanka: 410 people confirmed dead, with 336 missing in the aftermath of Cyclone Ditwah.
• Thailand:181 people confirmed dead, after massive floods affected over 1.5 million households.
In Sri Lanka, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake described the event as the worst to strike the country in recent history, cautioning that the true scale of casualties is likely far higher than current figures as military-led teams struggle to reach isolated communities.
‘Manmade Crisis’ in Indonesia
Indonesia remains the hardest-hit nation, particularly on Sumatra island, where rescuers are struggling to access villages due to washed-out roads and collapsed bridges. The floods and landslides in North Sumatra carried away millions of cubic meters of felled timber, sparking public concern and intense scrutiny of environmental practices.
The once-lush Batang Toru forested area has been described as a wasteland of broken logs and shattered homes. Activist groups, including the Indonesian Environmental Forum, have strongly argued that this is “not just a natural disaster, it’s a manmade crisis.” They claim that deforestation and unchecked development including for illegal logging, mining, and large-scale industrial plantations (such as palm oil and pulpwood) have stripped the region of its natural resilience. Satellite data shows that the wider North Sumatra province lost the equivalent of {28% of its tree cover between 2001 and 2024.
The Indonesian government has received a comprehensive report on the causes and is investigating the allegations, with the Attorney General’s Office examining whether illegal logging contributed to the devastation, which is compounded by the region’s structural ecological vulnerabilities .
Survivors’ Desperate Search
A week after the flash floods, survivors continue to search for loved ones. In Sikumbang village, Agam district, West Sumatra, farmer Zahari Sutra pleaded with rescuers for help finding his missing wife and two young daughters, aged 4 & 2. After the raging current swept away his home, he managed to find his eldest daughter, 5 but the rest of his immediate family remains unaccounted for.
In Thailand, authorities are focused on cleanup and restoration of water and electricity infrastructure, with the Interior Ministry setting up public kitchens. The first batch of compensation payments, totaling 239 million baht USD 7.4 million), is set to be distributed to 26,000 affected people.