Name: Death toll from flooding across Asia passes 1,000 | BBC News
Uploaded: 2025-12-01T17:00:09.000Z
Duration: 8 min 40 s
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Across vast areas of Southeast Asia, the true scale of a major flooding disaster is becoming clearer.

And a desperate hunt for food, water and survivors is ramping up as the floodwaters begin to recede.

In some areas, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Thailand have seen their largest scale devastation after an exceptionally rare tropical storm named Cyclone Senya fueled torrential rains, catastrophic landslides, and

It's the provinces of Aceh, North Sumatra and West Sumatra which have been hardest hit.

Aid workers are resorting to delivering help by foot.

And desperation is growing with reports of looting now too.

One person telling the BBC that locals are fighting over instant noodles.

The death toll across the region continues to climb as well.

In Indonesia, the disaster agency saying more than 600 people have been kill, more are missing.

And Sri Lanka's disaster management centers say 355 have been killed there.

And in Thailand, the death toll standing at 176 people.

Two people are known to have died in Malaysia as well.

But remarkable stories of survival are emerging too.

Rescue teams using boats were able to reach this person, this resident trapped by floodwaters in a coconut tree.

In Indonesia, others recounted how they escaped as the waters were rising around their homes.

The water from this house is already up to their knees.

There is a large amount of desperation on so many levels across the region.

Let's take you to Jakarta in Indonesia and talk to Astradestra and Ajangrasti.

And from Colombo and Sri Lanka, AFP bureau chief Amal Jai Singer.

What's the picture across Sri Lanka at the moment?

Well, the rains have subsided, but security forces have started a recovery process.

So actually the rescue is now more or less over.

It has now turned into a very grim recovery operation.

And we keep getting reports of lots of bodies being pulled out of the mudslides.

And in other areas affected by flooding, there is a fairly big operation going on to provide them with some of the basic things like food, shelter and some clothing.

One is looking after the people who are affected by the floods, particularly in and around the capital and also in the central part of the country that's the worst affected Area by landslides.

So the recovery process is underway in those areas.

And do we know the full scale of need at the moment, the full picture, or are there still areas that are cut off?

Lots of villages, particularly in the central hills have been cut off by landslides and also trees falling across streets.

So we really don't have a full picture of the loss of life and damage.

But what is clear is that lots of people are missing.

And even as communication lines are restored, we keep hearing about more and more people who have gone missing.

So it looks like this operation will have to continue for a few more days, especially get the roads open.

And we are told that that operation is now underway.

About 25,000 people have been deployed for that.

So perhaps we'll get some idea maybe in the next 24 hours or so.

And Astra destroyer, is it a similar picture as well across parts of Sumatra particularly?

I mean we've seen some really dramatic pictures of, you know, people on their rooftops desperately waiting to be rescued as well.

And the fact that so many villages still remain cut off.

Astrodestra, that was, that was for you, just wanting to get the picture across Sumatra particularly.

So in Sumatra, the rain has finally stopped.

But now the communities of course are dealing with months as high as their waist, some even as high as their chest, trying to find bodies.

So the rescue workers are also now still doing as best as they can to try to go to the most isolated areas, particularly in Aceh.

We hear reports that some villages still have no aids at all.

So they are now surviving with what they have.

Some say that they only have food for the next two days.

So if aid cannot come to their place soon, then they will face starvation.

But we also hear amazing stories of survivors.

We heard people spending hours waiting in top of big trees, on the tree trunks, on the rocks and waiting for the water to reside and finally could save themselves.

But more than 500 people are still missing.

They are thought to be buried under the landslide.

Casualties will be still arise in the next couple of days.

That is a huge number of people still unaccounted for.500.

And you mentioned there in Arche that they haven't received any aid.

Why is President Prabowi not calling for more international assistance?

That is also the question that all of a lot of people have been asking today.

President Prabowo have arrived to three different locations of the worst heated areas.

He went to the North Sumatra, West Sumatra and Aceh and also acknowledged acknowledging that aid have not go through to the places that are still isolated.

He said that they are, you know, the country is doing the best that they can to give aid for those in need.

But up until this point, you know, we see that many people still haven't received anything.

And that's become a huge point of, you know, critics by many social environmentalists also.

And they are calling the president to declare a national emergency to this disaster in order to get faster and more coordinated resource on it.

Right now, all of the relief efforts are left to each of the regional government and Aceh district governments, for example, have say to media that they have given up.

It feels like this is the second tsunami.

As you know, iche was hit by tsunami more than 20 years ago and it was a huge disaster.

Now he's saying that this time it almost feel like it happened all over again.

I've seen lots of people on social media and responses today wondering why that state of emergency hasn't been called in Indonesia.

But Amal, it's a different picture in Sri Lanka, isn't it?

The government is asking for international assistance.

Yes, the president has declared a state of emergency, and

he has also appealed not only to the international community, but also Sri Lankans who are living abroad.

The government has basically set up separate special bank accounts for them to directly send money for the relief effort.

So actually, the president addressed the nation overnight and the message was that the government is determined to build back better.

And of course, he was seeking international help to do that.

Thank you both very much for updating us on what is happening in Sri Lanka and in Indonesia as well.

To remind you the true scale of this disaster, still not clear.

As Astra Desa is saying, still 500 people unaccounted for in Indonesia, but