Catastrophic Flooding in Southern Asia Claims Hundreds of Lives

Sat Dec 06 2025 06:00:55 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

Torrential rains have unleashed devastating floods and landslides across Southern Asia, resulting in approximately 700 fatalities, with rescue operations still ongoing amidst rising water levels.

Over the past week, heavy monsoon rains, intensified by tropical storms, have led to unprecedented flooding in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Sri Lanka. With nearly 700 lives lost and hundreds missing, the natural disaster has left millions affected and thousands stranded, waiting for rescue. The crisis has prompted emergency declarations and calls for international aid, highlighting the severe impact of climate change on weather patterns in the region.

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 reported 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. She and her grandmother rushed to higher ground, but when they returned, they found their house completely submerged.

In Thailand's southern Songkhla province, water levels rose 3m (10ft), claiming at least 145 lives in what is considered one of the worst floods in a decade. The city of Hat Yai experienced an extraordinary 335mm of rainfall in just one day.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka is battling one of its worst weather disasters, with 132 fatalities reported and approximately 15,000 homes destroyed. The government has declared a state of emergency, seeking international assistance.

The extreme weather pattern in Southeast Asia is believed to be influenced by climate change, resulting in intensified storms and altered rainfall patterns, which contribute to flash flooding and disaster.