More than 600 people have been killed in floods and landslides across Southeast Asia, as relief efforts for tens of thousands of displaced people continued over the weekend.
Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand faced large-scale devastation after a rare tropical storm formed in the Malacca Strait, fuelling heavy rains and wind gusts for a week. There were 435 dead in Indonesia, 170 in Thailand, and three deaths reported in Malaysia.
Separately in Sri Lanka, at least 334 people have been killed as a result of floods and landslides triggered by Cyclone Ditwah, with many more still missing.
Rescue and relief officials in the Southeast Asian countries were still trying to get access to many flood-hit areas on Sunday, even as flood waters receded and tens of thousands of people were evacuated across the three countries.
Over 4 million people have been affected — nearly 3 million in southern Thailand and 1.1 million in western Indonesia, according to official statistics.
The aftermath of flash flooding, which ravaged homes, a mosque and severed road access in Batipuh village in West Sumatra, Indonesia. Source: Anadolu, Getty / Adi Prima
Many areas were cut off due to blocked roads, while damage to telecommunications infrastructure has hampered communication. Relief and rescue teams used helicopters to deliver aid to people in areas unreachable by road.
From a navy chopper flying over the isolated town of Palembayan in West Sumatra, a Reuters photographer saw large tracts of land and homes swept away by floodwaters.
As the helicopter landed in a soccer field, dozens of people were already standing close by waiting for food.
There have been reports of people looting supply lines as they grow desperate for relief in other areas, officials said on Saturday.
Indonesian soldiers load aid supplies to be sent to flood-affected areas in Sumatra. Source: EPA / Hotli Simanjuntak
Hat Yai, the largest city in Songkhla, received 335 mm of rain last Friday, its highest single-day tally in 300 years, amid days of heavy downpours.
In neighbouring Malaysia, there are still about 18,700 people in evacuation centres, according to the country's national disaster management agency. Meteorological authorities lifted tropical storm and continuous rain warnings on Saturday, forecasting clear skies for most of the country.
Parts of the country were battered last week by heavy rain and wind. Malaysia's foreign ministry said it had evacuated over 6,200 Malaysian nationals stranded in Thailand.
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