In brief
Southern Asia is reeling from catastrophic flooding due to relentless monsoon rains intensified by tropical storms, with nearly 700 people confirmed dead and even more missing. The hardest-hit regions include Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, and Sri Lanka, where rescue efforts are thwarted by harsh weather. As communities grapple with the consequences, governments are mobilizing aid and response teams amidst a growing crisis exacerbated by climate change.
Torrential rains have triggered floods and landslides across parts of southern Asia, killing about 700 people.
Monsoon rain exacerbated by tropical storms caused some of the region's worst flooding in years, with millions affected in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Sri Lanka.
Intense rainfall began on the Indonesian island of Sumatra on Wednesday. During the flood, everything was gone, a resident of Bireuen in Sumatra's Aceh province told Reuters news agency. I wanted to save my clothes, but my house came down.
With hundreds still missing, the death toll is likely to rise. Thousands remain stranded, some awaiting rescue on rooftops.
As of Saturday more than 300 people had died in Indonesia, 160 in Thailand and at least two in Malaysia.
In Sri Lanka, which has been battered by heavy rains and a cyclone, more than 130 people are dead and some 170 missing, officials said.
Indonesia's disaster agency said on Saturday that nearly 300 people were still missing after flooding devastated Sumatra.
An exceptionally rare tropical cyclone, Cyclone Senyar, caused catastrophic landslides and flooding, with homes swept away and thousands of buildings submerged.
In Pidie Jaya Regency in Aceh Province, resident Arini Amalia told the BBC: The current was very fast, in a matter of seconds it reached the streets, entered the houses.
Several countries in the region are facing one of the worst weather disasters in recent years. Meteorologists note that these extreme weather conditions may be a result of climate change altering storm patterns, resulting in intensified rainfall and flash flooding.
