The death toll from floods and landslides on Indonesia’s Sumatra island has risen to 303, the head of the country’s disaster mitigation agency said on Saturday (29). The last update was 174 deaths.
Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand were for a week, with a rare tropical storm in the Strait of Malacca.
At least 279 people are still missing in Indonesia. Around 80,000 people have had to leave their homes and hundreds remain stranded in the three provinces of Sumatra island, the head of the disaster agency said.
Rescue teams used helicopters to deliver aid and for logistics in the northern part of the island, which was hardest hit, with roads blocked and communications infrastructure destroyed by landslides.
“We are trying to open the route from North Tapanuli to Sibolga (in North Sumatra province), which has been blocked for the third day,” the agency head said.
He added that people were stuck on a blocked section of road and needed supplies. The military presence will be reinforced on Sunday (30) to help with relief efforts, he said.
Across the Strait of Malacca in , the death toll from flooding in the southern part of the country has risen to 162, government spokesman Siripong Angkasakulkiat said on Saturday, up from the previous figure of 145.
