Sri Lanka and Indonesia deployed military personnel on Monday to help victims of devastating flooding that has killed nearly 1,000 people across four countries in Asia in recent days.
Separate weather systems brought torrential, extended rainfall to the entire island of Sri Lanka and large parts of Indonesia's Sumatra, southern Thailand and northern Malaysia last week.
Arriving in North Sumatra on Monday, Indonesian president Prabowo Subianto said "the worst has passed, hopefully".
The government's "priority now is how to immediately send the necessary aid", with particular focus on several isolated villages, he added.
Prabowo has come under increasing pressure to declare a national emergency in response to flooding and landslides that have killed at least 442 people in Indonesia, with hundreds more missing.
Unlike his Sri Lankan counterpart, he has not publicly called for international assistance.
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
The government has sent three warships carrying aid and two hospital ships to some of the worst-hit areas, where many roads remain impassable.
On the Indonesian island of Sumatra, three provinces had been devastated by landslides and floods after the rains.
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.
Sri Lankan government calls for international aid
In Sri Lanka, meanwhile, the government called for international aid and used military helicopters to reach people stranded by flooding and landslides triggered by Cyclone Ditwah.
At least 340 people have been killed, Sri Lankan officials said on Monday, with many more still missing.
Floodwaters in the capital Colombo peaked overnight, and with rain now stopped, there were hopes that waters would start receding.
Some shops and offices began to reopen.
Waterlogged streets in Kaduwela, on the outskirts of the Sri Lankan capital Colombo at the weekend. Source: Getty / NurPhoto
In Ma Oya, just north of the capital, Hasitha Wijewardena said he was struggling to clean up after the floods.
"The water has gone down, but the house is now full of mud," he told local reporters, appealing for military help to clean up.
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who declared a state of emergency to deal with the disaster, vowed Sri Lanka would rebuild.
"We are facing the largest and most challenging natural disaster in our history," he said in an address to the nation.
"Certainly, we will build a better nation than what existed before."
The losses and damage are the worst in Sri Lanka since the devastating 2004 Asian tsunami that killed around 31,000 people there and left more than a million homeless.
Growing outcry in Thailand over flood response
Much of Asia is in its annual monsoon season, which often brings heavy rain, triggering landslides and flash floods.
But the flooding that hit Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia was also exacerbated by a rare tropical storm that dumped heavy rain on Sumatra island in particular.
Climate change has also increased the intensity of storms, and produced more heavy rain events because a warmer atmosphere holds more moisture.
This gymnasium in Hat Yai, southern Thailand, was used as an evacuation centre for people sheltering from widespread flooding late last week. Source: Getty / Sirachai Arunrugstichai
The government has rolled out relief measures, but there has been growing public criticism of the flood response, and two local officials have been suspended over their alleged failures.
Across the border in Malaysia, where heavy rains also inundated large stretches of land in Perlis state, two people were killed.
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