The death toll from floods and landslides in Indonesia has risen to 502, with 508 missing, a tally published by the national disaster agency shows. The latest figure has brought the death toll from flooding across Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Malaysia to more than 1,000. Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto is reassuring residents that “the worst has passed, hopefully.
As he arrived in North Tapanuli in North Sumatra on Monday, where the government has set up a command post for emergency efforts, the president said his priority was to “immediately send the necessary aid” to hard-hit provinces, especially isolated villages. Three warships carrying aid, along with two hospital ships, have been sent to areas where flooding and landslides have rendered roads impassable.