Indonesia, Thailand race to find missing as flood toll rises to 480

• Indonesia struggles to reach flood victims.
• At least 162 people were killed in Thailand.
• Climate change has affected storm patterns.
  

Authorities in Indonesia and Thailand scrambled Sunday to clear debris and find hundreds of people still missing after devastating floods and landslides killed at least 480 people across Southeast Asia.

Heavy monsoon rain has lashed parts of Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia this week, leaving thousands of people stranded without shelter or critical supplies.

At least two towns on Indonesia’s worst-hit Sumatra island were still inaccessible on Sunday, and authorities said they had deployed two warships from Jakarta to deliver aid.

“There are two towns that require full attention due to the isolation, namely Central Tapanuli and Sibolga,” said the head of the National Disaster Management Agency, Suharyanto. The ships were expected in Sibolga on Monday, he said.

The death toll in Indonesia has risen to 316, with 289 still missing, according to the latest figures from the disaster authority.

In the village of Sungai Nyalo, about 100 kilometers (62 miles) from West Sumatra’s capital Padang, floodwaters had mostly receded by Sunday, leaving homes, vehicles and crops covered in thick gray mud.

Authorities had not yet begun clearing the streets, residents told AFP, and no outside help had arrived.

“Most villagers chose to stay; they didn’t want to leave their homes behind,” said 55-year-old Idris, who, like many Indonesians, has one name.

Across the island to the north coast, an endangered Sumatran elephant lay buried in thick mud and debris near damaged buildings in the town of Meureudu.

In Thailand, where at least 162 people were killed in one of the worst floods in a decade, authorities continued to provide aid and clean up the damage.

Relief measures taken by the Thai government include compensation of up to two million baht ($62,000) for households that lost family members.

But there is growing public criticism of Thailand’s response to the floods, and two local officials have been suspended for alleged failures.

Two people have been killed in Malaysia after floods left parts of the northern state of Perlis underwater.

The annual monsoon season, usually between June and September, often brings heavy rainfall, causing landslides and flash floods.

A tropical storm has worsened conditions and the toll in Indonesia and Thailand is among the highest in flooding in those countries in recent years.

Climate change has affected storm patterns, including season length and intensity, leading to heavier rainfall, flash flooding and stronger winds.