At least 600 people are now confirmed to have died in flooding across Southeast Asia following torrential rain. The worst affected countries are Indonesia, Thailand, and Malaysia, where many remote areas have seen landslides making rescue operations hazardous. Our first report from Thailand and our correspondent, Dusita Saokaew
*Devastating scenes are unfolding across Southeast Asia, from Thailand to Indonesia and Malaysia, where days of torrential rain have triggered severe floods and landslides, leaving at least 500 people dead. Now, this is not an isolated disaster, but a regional emergency. Relentless rainfall has overflowed river systems, crippled draining infrastructure, and caused extensive damage to homes, roads, and essential services. In Thailand's southern SRA province, where we reported on ground for 4 days, flood waters have begun to recede. Yet, the full extent of the destruction is only now becoming clear. More than 160 people have lost their lives. Millions across nine southern provinces have been affected.
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In Hatyay, the economic hub of the region, the death toll continues to rise. Power and communication networks were nearly wiped out, leaving residents unable to call for help and hindering rescue operations. Shortages of food and clean water quickly set in. Now, our crew experience similar challenges, but of course, they pale in comparison to the profound losses faced by local communities.
Now, the sharp rise in fatalities in recent days reflects the access that rescue teams now have into neighborhoods that were previously submerged. Several places were under more than 5 m of water. And as rescuers move deeper into these areas, more bodies are being retrieved. CGTN, Bangkok, Thailand.*
Well, let's get more now on Indonesia and Malaysia and also Sri Lanka where more than 200 people have died. Our correspondent Michael Merillia reports.
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*The storm may be over, but the struggle has just begun. Afrianti used to run a shop here on Indonesia's Sumatra Island. Her family gathered on Sunday trying to make sense of the devastation. They met here at her house. Now little more than a wall. This was my home. I have nine of my family members here. We have nothing left. Everything was gone. We only have the clothes on our backs. More than 200,000 Indonesians have fled their homes. Roads have become rivers. Rescue teams now having to deliver food by helicopter because it's the only way in.
The storm has left many in shock. Marina Nordan says she was swept away as flood waters hit her village in Ache province. *I couldn't evacuate because I can't walk. The flood carried me.* Malaysians now also trying to piece their lives together. The storms have killed at least two people. This farmer escaped with his life, but his patty field has been destroyed. *My paddy field is like a sea. There have been waves of water and the wind is strong. I still can't see my crops at all.*
Parts of Sri Lanka are also underwater after a separate storm hit that country. Cyclone Ditwah has already killed more than people. Officials now warning that flood waters could rise in parts of the capital Colombo. They're urging people to get out while they can.
*Flood levels are increasing in some areas and I am requesting people in those areas to be vigilant and evacuate their homes.* From the sky, the impact of these storms is clear, but it's on the ground where people have to pick up the pieces where this story is really unfolding. Michael Merilia, CGTN.
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