Separate weather events brought torrential rains across sri Lanka and the large island of Sumatra in western Indonesia, as well as southern Thailand and northern Malaysia.

Arriving in North Sumatra on Monday, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto announced that “the government’s priority was now to immediately send the necessary aid.”

“There are several isolated villages that, God willing, we can reach,” he added, announcing the deployment of planes and helicopters to facilitate relief operations.

Prabowo Subianto is under growing pressure to declare a national state of emergency over floods and landslides that have left at least 442 dead and hundreds missing in the Southeast Asian archipelago.

This is the heaviest toll for a natural disaster in Indonesia since the earthquake and tsunami which killed more than 2,000 people on Celebes in 2018.

Unlike his Sri Lankan counterpart, the Indonesian leader did not appeal for international aid.

His government has deployed three milit

Sri Lanka Reels from Cyclone ditwah’s Deadly Floods and Landslides

The Sri Lankan government deployed military helicopters to rescue people stranded by floods and landslides triggered by Cyclone Ditwah. One helicopter crashed on Sunday evening north of Colombo.

Sri Lanka’s disaster agency reported at least 334 fatalities on Sunday, with several hundred individuals still missing as rescue teams work to clear roads blocked by fallen trees and mudslides.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who declared a state of emergency in response to the disaster, pledged to rebuild after what he described as “the largest and most tough” natural disaster in the nation’s history during a speech on Saturday.

“My house is wholly flooded, I don’t know where to go, but I hope to find a safe shelter to take my family,” Selvi, a 46-year-old resident of the colombo suburbs, told AFP while carrying four bags of belongings.

The current losses and damage represent the most significant impact Sri Lanka has experienced as the devastating 2004 tsunami.

Anger in Thailand

Much of Asia currently experiences the monsoon season, which frequently brings heavy rains, leading to landslides and flash floods.

Though,climate change alters storm patterns,increasing the duration and intensity of heavier rains,flash floods,and stronger wind gusts.