Fears of Starvation Rise as Death Toll Tops 900 in Indonesia

Devastating floods and landslides have resulted in the tragic deaths of more than 900 individuals on Indonesia’s island of Sumatra, as confirmed by the country’s disaster management agency. The ongoing chain of tropical storms and monsoonal rains has wreaked havoc across Southeast and South Asia, causing landslides and flash floods from the Sumatran rainforest to Sri Lanka’s highland plantations. In the past week alone, over 1,790 people have lost their lives due to natural disasters in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam. The provinces of Aceh and North Sumatra in Indonesia have been particularly hard hit, with floods washing away roads, burying homes in mud, and disrupting essential supplies.