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Cyclone Ditwah, Senyar leave parts of Southeast Asia devastated, toll tops 1,000
In Indonesia's Sumatra, a week of heavy rains, worsened by the rare cyclone - Senyar - caused at least 500 deaths.
Three tropical cyclones, coinciding with the northeast monsoon that typically brings heavy downpours, have caused widespread destruction in Southeast Asia.
The storms – Senyar in Indonesia and Ditwah in Sri Lanka – have caused over 1,000 fatalities, making these two countries the hardest hit by heavy rainfall, flooding, and landslides. Follow Cyclone Ditwah live updates here.
In Indonesia, a week of heavy rains, worsened by the rare cyclone caused at least 502 deaths in Sumatra. About 508 persons continue to remain missing, according to AFP news agenct, which cited a tally published by the national disaster agency on Monday.
According to the Hong Kong Observatory, Senyar, which circled the Strait of Malacca last week, has now dissipated over the South China Sea.
Indonesia’s National Disaster Mitigation Agency head said during a briefing that the damage caused by the adverse weather to roads and the communication network has been complicating rescue and relief efforts.
Bloomberg reported that widespread infrastructure damage has obstructed access to multiple villages, leading authorities to use helicopters and navy ships for supply deliveries.
Residents have described the flooding as the “worst in our lifetime,” as some homes were submerged up to their rooftops.
176 killed in Thailand
In Thailand, at least 176 people lost their lives as floods unleashed by the torrential rains in the southern part of the country affected more than two million households, according to officials cited by Bloomberg.
Krungsri Research estimates total economic losses at 23.6 billion baht ($734 million), with hotels and restaurants severely impacted. Rubber and palm oil production also faced notable damage.
Storm Senyar, responsible for the recent bout of precipitation across the region, was the first tropical cyclone to form in the Strait of Malacca since the destructive Typhoon Vamei made passage there in 2001, according to the HKO.
334 killed in Sri Lanka, 3 dead in India
Meanwhile, Cyclone Ditwah caused massive devastation in Sri Lanka, which lay on the path of the storm, killing at least 334 people and leaving nearly 370 missing.
About 20,000 homes had been destroyed and over 100,000 people have been moved to government shelters in the Island nation.
According to the Daily Mirror, the worst-hit district in Sri Lanka is Kandy, where 88 deaths and 150 missing persons have been recorded. Badulla recorded 71 deaths, Nuwara Eliya recorded 68 deaths, and Matale reported 23 deaths, along with significant casualties.
Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said that the country is setting up a fund to repair damage from Cyclone Ditwah and added that the nation is facing its “largest and most challenging natural disaster", according to Bloomberg.
“From small-scale self-employed workers to major industrialists, from farmers to livestock breeders, every sector has been severely impacted,” Dissanayake said.
Three people died in rain-related incidents triggered by cyclone Ditwah in India's Tamil Nadu over the last 24 hours, state revenue and disaster management minister KKSSR Ramachandran said on Sunday.
He added that nearly 150 cattle have died and 57,000 hectares of farmland has been damaged in the delta districts due to the impact.
