Death Toll from Devastating Floods in Indonesia Rises to Nearly 1,000
International Desk
Published: 12 December 2025, 11:07 am
The death toll from severe flooding in Indonesia has risen to nearly 1,000, leaving hundreds of thousands still in crisis and increasing public frustration over slow relief efforts, reports AFP.
A spokesperson for the country’s disaster management agency, Abdul Muhari, confirmed that by Thursday afternoon, 990 people had died in floods affecting northwestern Sumatra, marking the region’s largest disaster in recent years. Over 220 people remain missing.
Heavy tropical storms and seasonal rains sweeping across Southeast and South Asia in December have caused landslides and flash floods from Sumatra’s rainforests to Sri Lanka’s highlands, with further rainfall expected.
In Aceh Province, still recovering from the 2004 tsunami, residents are slowly trying to resume normal life, but frustration is growing over delays in aid distribution.
Shiarul, 39, said, “People don’t know whom to rely on.”
Sariulis, 36, explained, “After almost 15 days of flooding, we can only clean inside our houses. Outside, the mud is too deep to clear. Most affected people are complaining about the lack of government assistance. Despite regional flood management plans, our experience has been the opposite. Two weeks have passed, and we are still facing the same problems.”
Aceh’s Governor Muzakir Munaf told reporters that the ongoing emergency response needs to be extended by two more weeks to support rehabilitation and repair of critical infrastructure. He emphasized that medical aid is most urgent, as communities are facing skin diseases, coughs, itching, and other flood-related illnesses.
Post-disaster reconstruction costs could reach $3.1 billion, but the Indonesian government has so far rejected offers of international aid.
International
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