Officials in Indonesia announced on Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025, that the death toll from severe flooding and landslides on the island of Sumatra has risen to 248. The extreme weather, which followed a week of heavy rainfall attributed to a tropical storm in the Malacca Strait, has also impacted neighboring Thailand and Malaysia.
Indonesia’s National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) provided the updated casualty figures, confirming 248 fatalities, more than 100 people missing, and over 500 injured across Sumatra.
Suharyanto, the head of the BNPB, indicated that the number of casualties may change as rescue teams access more areas. “The death toll is believed to be increasing, since many bodies are still missing, while many have not been reached,” Suharyanto said in a statement.
The reported deaths occurred across several provinces on the island. On Friday, Ilham Wahab, a spokesman for the West Sumatra Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency, reported 61 deaths and 90 missing in that province. Wahab also stated that 75,219 people had been displaced and 106,806 were affected in West Sumatra.
In addition to those figures, authorities reported 116 fatalities in North Sumatra province and at least 35 in Aceh province.
The heavy rainfall caused rivers to overflow, leading to flash floods that submerged homes and buildings in multiple districts. Search and rescue operations are ongoing, though relief efforts face significant challenges. According to reports from the region, access to some locations has been impeded by damaged infrastructure, including collapsed bridges and flooded roads. Downed communication lines and a lack of heavy equipment have also been cited by officials as complicating factors.
Relief aircraft have been deployed to deliver aid and supplies to affected areas, including the Central Tapanuli district in North Sumatra.
The tropical storm also brought torrential rain to other parts of Southeast Asia. In southern Thailand, officials reported at least 145 people were killed as of Friday, with government figures indicating that more than 3.5 million people have been affected by the flooding. In neighboring Malaysia, authorities confirmed two deaths related to the weather event.
