Devastating floods and landslides have killed at least 1,003 people in Indonesia, officials said on Saturday, as rescue teams continue to search for survivors across the hard-hit island of Sumatra.
The disaster, which has unfolded over the past two weeks, has injured more than 5,400 people and left 218 others missing, according to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency.
Authorities warned that the death toll is likely to rise as access improves to remote and previously cut-off areas.
Torrential rains inundated large swathes of North Sumatra, West Sumatra and Aceh provinces, triggering landslides that buried homes and swept away roads, bridges and farmland. More than 1.2 million residents have been forced to flee to temporary shelters, many of them overcrowded and short on basic supplies.
Deadliest in recent years
The floods rank among the deadliest disasters to hit Sumatra in recent years, evoking memories of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami that devastated Aceh province and killed more than 170,000 people in Indonesia alone.
Rescue operations have been complicated by damaged infrastructure and continuing rainfall, slowing the delivery of aid. Frustration has mounted among displaced families, some of whom have complained about delays in relief and shortages of clean water, medicine and food.
President Prabowo Subianto sought to reassure the public on Saturday, saying conditions were gradually improving. After visiting the flood-hit district of Langkat in North Sumatra, he said several areas that had been isolated were now accessible.
“Here and there, due to natural and physical conditions, there have been slight delays,” Prabowo said. “But I checked all the evacuation sites: their conditions are good, services are adequate, and food supplies are sufficient.”
Rising cost
The government estimates the cost of rebuilding homes, roads and public infrastructure could reach 51.82 trillion rupiah ($3.1 billion).
Despite the scale of destruction, Jakarta has so far brushed aside calls to seek international assistance, saying domestic resources are being mobilized to handle the crisis.
Indonesia is highly vulnerable to floods and landslides due to its tropical climate, mountainous terrain and deforestation in some regions.
Climate scientists warn that extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and intense, increasing the risk of large-scale disasters across the archipelago.
As search-and-rescue teams push on, authorities say the priority remains locating the missing and preventing further loss of life as communities brace for more rain in the days ahead.
