A series of powerful cyclones and tropical storms has brought severe flooding, landslides and widespread destruction across South and Southeast Asia in recent days, leaving over 1,100 people dead and affecting millions.

Multiple countries have reported large-scale damage as relief teams struggle to reach isolated communities and restore essential services.

In Indonesia, torrential rains triggered extensive flooding and landslides across western Sumatra, causing more than 500 deaths, according to figures reported by regional and national authorities, with well over 400 people still missing.

Access to many districts remains limited due to blocked roads and damaged telecommunications networks, forcing relief teams to rely heavily on helicopters.

Entire communities have been swept away, and more than 200,000 people have been displaced. Survivors described returning to find their homes destroyed, while officials warned of growing desperation in cut-off areas.

In Thailand, southern provinces have recorded over 260 fatalities across the two storms, with local authorities noting exceptionally intense rainfall.

Songkhla Province was the hardest hit, reporting more than 130 deaths after unprecedented downpours inundated Hat Yai and surrounding areas.

Nearly three million people have been affected nationwide. Floodwaters are gradually receding, but emergency crews continue to clear debris and reopen major transport routes.

In Malaysia, impacts were comparatively limited but still severe in some regions. Authorities reported several deaths and widespread flooding as the storm system made a second landfall in Peninsular Malaysia.

Close to 20,000 people remain in evacuation centers. Malaysia also evacuated thousands of its nationals stranded in Thailand and issued advisories for citizens in Indonesia’s West Sumatra, where one Malaysian was reported missing.

Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake on Sunday described the ongoing extreme weather crisis as the worst natural disaster the country has ever faced, pledging full state support for recovery from the catastrophe.

In a special address to the nation, the president said the government carries a threefold responsibility during disasters: managing the immediate emergency, restoring normalcy and rebuilding the country to a condition stronger than before.

He said the State of Public Emergency currently in effect is strictly limited to disaster management and will not curtail civil liberties, adding that urgent measures are underway to restore essential services, including water supply, electricity and communication networks, which have been disrupted across many regions.

By 6 p.m. local time on Sunday, adverse weather in the country had left 334 people dead and at least 370 others missing, according to Sri Lanka's Disaster Management Center.

(With input from Xinhua)

(Cover: People wade through a flooded street after heavy rainfall in Wellampitiya on the outskirts of Colombo, Sri Lanka, November 30, 2025. /VCG)