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Friday, December 05, 2025  
13 Jumada Al-Akhirah 1447  

Floods and landslides in Indonesia’s Sumatra kill at least 174

Rescue efforts hampered by a ‘total cut-off’ of roads and communications
Damaged houses hit by flash floods, near a riverbank in Padang, West Sumatra province, Indonesia, on November 28, 2025. Reuters
Damaged houses hit by flash floods, near a riverbank in Padang, West Sumatra province, Indonesia, on November 28, 2025. Reuters

The death toll from floods and landslides on the Indonesian island of Sumatra has risen to 174, up from the previous 94, the country’s disaster mitigation agency said on Friday, adding that dozens remain missing.

According to an earlier report, at least 28 people were killed by Thursday, with rescue efforts hampered by what an official described as a “total cut-off” of roads and communications.

A rare tropical cyclone blew across Indonesia’s Sumatra island, inundating the nearby Malacca Strait and causing floods and landslides, the country’s meteorological agency said on Wednesday, as large swathes of Southeast Asia grappled with deadly flooding.

Another 10 people were still missing, Abdul Muhari, spokesperson for the country’s disaster mitigation agency, said on Thursday.

Up to 8,000 people across North Sumatra have been evacuated, and roads remain blocked by landslide debris, with aid and logistics now being distributed via helicopter, Abdul said.

The regions of Sibolga and Central Tapanuli were among the hardest hit, said Yuyun Karseno, an official at the agency’s North Sumatra division, adding that communications and power had been cut off.

“There is no more access, due to a total cut-off,” Yuyun said when asked about the rescue efforts. “Until now, we can’t communicate with folks in Sibolga and Central Tapanuli.”

Among the dead were one family in Central Tapanuli, Indonesia’s search and rescue agency said.

A video shared by radio channel Elshinta on its social media account showed a person carrying a baby in a plastic container on a roof in Central Tapanuli.

Footage and photos shared by the agency show rapid currents of water overflowing across the region and leaving buildings destroyed in their wake, with rescuers using orange rafts to visit the flooded homes of residents.

Flooding also impacted the provinces of West Sumatra and Aceh, authorities said.

More flooding is expected in several other Sumatran provinces, including Aceh and Riau, over the next two days, the meteorological agency said, citing extreme weather.

The Indonesian flooding is one of a series of weather disasters to hit Southeast Asia this week.

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Indonesia

Southeast Asia

north sumatra

Sumatra

Yuyun Karseno

Central Tapanuli

Sumatran

Elshinta

West Sumatra

Abdul Muhari

Malacca Strait

Riau

Aceh

Yuyun

Abdul

Sibolga