The Current Death toll climbs from deadly floods across Indonesia
Dec 4, 2025
Lesthia Kertupati, a senior journalist with BBC Indonesia, shares her insights on the catastrophic flooding in Indonesia. She paints a harrowing picture of devastation in Sumatra with over 800 deaths, submerged villages, and destroyed infrastructure. Relief efforts are hampered by damaged roads, forcing volunteers to traverse great distances to deliver aid. Lesthia also discusses the escalating health and sanitation crises in overcrowded shelters and connects the storm's severity to climate change and deforestation, emphasizing urgent calls for national disaster status.
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Man Carries Photo While Searching
- A distraught man carried a picture searching for his missing wife after the storm on Sumatra.
- He said he would accept even a piece of her hand just to recognise her, showing desperate personal loss.
Widespread Infrastructure Collapse
- Floods and landslides on Sumatra destroyed over 300 bridges and swept away thousands of homes, causing more than 800 deaths.
- The scale shows infrastructure collapse amplified human toll and hampered immediate rescue and relief efforts.
Aid Reaches Isolated Areas Slowly
- Blocked roads and destroyed bridges force volunteers to carry aid by motorbike and on foot into isolated areas.
- One volunteer walked over 17 kilometres to deliver essential supplies, greatly limiting aid volume.