Unprecedented floods, landslides, cyclones and storms have devastated communities in Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, India and Thailand.
The death toll from severe floods, landslides and storms across Asia has risen above 1,700 as of Sunday, with hundreds still missing after weeks of extreme weather battered several countries.
Indonesia remains the worst-hit, with widespread destruction reported across multiple provinces.
Unprecedented floods, landslides, cyclones and storms have devastated communities in Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, India and Thailand.
Authorities say the scale of the destruction is still unfolding, with several regions cut off and rescue workers struggling to reach stranded populations.
Indonesia’s National Disaster Management Agency said on Sunday that floods and landslides on Sumatra Island alone had killed 916 people, while 274 remained missing and about 4,200 others were injured, according to the BBC and TRT World.
More than 3.2 million people have been affected by the disaster, and over one million displaced residents have been evacuated to safer areas in North Sumatra, West Sumatra and Aceh.
In response, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto said the government plans to acquire up to 200 helicopters in 2026 to strengthen national capacity for disaster response as well as defence.
He reaffirmed the administration’s resolve to “mobilise all available resources,” including military aircraft, to ensure rapid and coordinated action during emergencies.
Across the region, Sri Lanka has also been severely impacted. The country’s Disaster Management Centre reported that the death toll from Cyclone Ditwah has climbed to 618, with 209 people still missing since the storm struck on November 17.
The UN said on Friday that at least 185 people have died in southern Thailand, while 367 others remain missing.
India has recorded four deaths and Malaysia three, as heavy rainfall and flash floods continue to disrupt transportation, agriculture and local economies.
The disaster in Indonesia intensified after a rare and powerful cyclone formed over the Malacca Strait last week, unleashing torrential rainfall and triggering deadly landslides.
Officials said more than 100,000 homes were destroyed nationwide.
Aid agencies are airdropping supplies into isolated communities, where road networks remain submerged or wiped out.
In Aceh Tamiang, one of the worst-affected regions, survivors described seeing entire villages swept away.
A resident of Lintang Bawah Village told BBC Indonesian that many survived only by climbing onto rooftops.
Fitriana, a survivor, was quoted as saying, "There were also those who survived on the roofs of their houses with their four-year-old children, for three days without eating or drinking."
She estimated that about 90% of homes in her village were destroyed, leaving 300 families displaced.
Another man recounted being evacuated by boat when water engulfed his home up to the second floor.
But even after relocating to another village, he and his family were forced to flee again.
He said, "That night, while we were sleeping, water suddenly soaked the mattresses we were sleeping on [in Gampoeng Dalam Village]. But we couldn't go anywhere else, because there was no higher ground.
"Luckily, my daughter-in-law's house was on two levels. So we climbed upstairs, and that's where we survived."
Local authorities say rescue and recovery teams are still working through thick mud and debris.
The region’s governor said officials were searching for bodies in “waist-deep” mud, according to the BBC.
He added, "Many people need basic necessities. Many areas remain untouched in the remote areas of Aceh. People are not dying from the flood, but from starvation. That's how it is."
Indonesian media also reported that inmates were released from a flooded prison because authorities had nowhere safe to relocate them.
As of Sunday, land access to Sibolga City and Central Tapanuli remained impossible, with aid reaching those areas only by air or sea.
Local reports indicate that some communities are facing shortages, and there have been emerging incidents of looting in supermarkets as survivors struggle to find food and clean water.
Search-and-rescue operations are expected to continue for days as officials warn the death toll could rise further.