Heavy Rains Stall Recovery: Asia Floods Kill Over 1,750 — Aceh, Sri Lanka and Thailand Worst Hit

Heavy Rains Hamper Recovery Across Asia

Rescue teams and volunteers are struggling to reach millions affected by severe flooding and landslides across parts of Asia. The official death toll in the worst-hit countries has risen above 1,750, with Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Thailand bearing the brunt of the disaster.

Indonesia (Aceh, Sumatra)

In Aceh province on Sumatra island, authorities confirmed at least 908 fatalities and reported 410 people still missing as of Saturday. More than 800,000 people have been displaced, according to provincial data. Many survivors remain cut off in remote areas, hampering relief and recovery.

"Many people need basic necessities. People are not dying from the flood, but from starvation," Aceh Governor Muzakir Manaf told reporters, describing rescue teams still recovering bodies from "waist-deep" mud.

Entire villages in the rainforest-cloaked Aceh Tamiang region were reported swept away, with roads and coastal access severely damaged.

Sri Lanka

The Sri Lankan government has confirmed 607 deaths and said another 214 people are missing and feared dead. More than two million people—nearly 10% of the population—have been affected. The Disaster Management Centre (DMC) recorded over 71,000 damaged homes, including almost 5,000 destroyed. Officials warned that continued heavy rain could trigger new landslides and hamper cleanup and relief operations.

Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam

Thailand has recorded at least 276 deaths linked to recent flooding. Malaysia and Vietnam each reported two fatalities after heavy rains triggered multiple landslides, according to state media.

Weather, Causes and Environmental Response

Experts told Al Jazeera that the extreme flooding followed the unusual simultaneous passage of two typhoons and a cyclone — a pattern scientists say is becoming more likely with climate change. Local factors such as illegal logging and large-scale deforestation in Sumatra have exacerbated runoff and worsened impacts.

Photographs and reports from Sumatra showed tree trunks and logs washed downstream. Indonesia’s Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni announced the revocation of logging licences for 20 companies covering about 750,000 hectares (1.8 million acres). Environment Minister Hanif Faisol Nurofiq ordered the immediate suspension of upstream activities by palm oil, mining and power-plant companies operating above northern Sumatra’s disaster zones, citing the need to protect strategic watersheds such as Batang Toru and Garoga.

Febi Dwirahmadi, programme coordinator at Griffith University’s Centre for Environment and Population Health, said intact rainforest cover "acts like a sponge," absorbing water during intense rain. After deforestation, runoff reaches waterways more quickly and with greater force, worsening floods and contributing to longer-term climate effects.

Humanitarian Concerns

Authorities and aid agencies warn that inaccessible communities face urgent shortages of food, clean water, shelter and medical supplies. Continued rain and landslide risk threaten to delay search-and-rescue and relief operations in many affected areas.

Sources: Local provincial data, Sri Lanka Disaster Management Centre, Indonesian Antara news agency and interviews reported by Al Jazeera.