Asia News Wrap: Over 1,200 deaths from floods across Asia, and more

Here are a few stories from around Asia you may have missed this week.

More than 1,200 die from floods and landslides in Asia

The death toll from cyclone-induced floods and landslides in Indonesia exceeded 800 on Monday as rescue teams worked to clear roads. Improved weather conditions revealed the full extent of a disaster that has claimed nearly 800 lives in Southeast Asia. Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand faced destruction after a rare tropical storm formed in the Malacca Strait, bringing heavy rains and strong winds for a week and hindering efforts to reach people stranded by mudslides and floods. 

Meanwhile, rescuers in Sri Lanka rushed on Monday to clear roads and deliver aid to more than half a million people affected by a cyclone last week. The death toll rose to 479, with 366 people reported missing, according to official figures. Cyclone Ditwah, bringing powerful winds and heavy rains, caused the worst floods in a decade in the island nation when it hit on Friday (November 28), triggering landslides in the hilly central region. Officials said that about a third of the country was without electricity or clean water, and a state of emergency was declared in the cyclone's aftermath.

Japan oysters dying 'en masse'

Oysters in Japan are dying in large numbers in parts of the country's top production area, likely due to warmer sea temperatures, officials said on Monday. In some coastal regions around the Seto Inland Sea in western Japan, an area responsible for more than three-quarters of Japan's farmed oyster production, about 90 percent of cultivated oysters are dead. In 2025, average water temperatures along Hiroshima's coast from July to October – a key period for oyster farming – were 1.5 to 1.9 degrees Celsius higher than the 1991-2020 average, according to prefecture data. 

"Little rain in July this year, in addition to high water temperatures, led to a rise in salt concentration, damaging oysters," said Shinichiro Toi, an official overseeing marine product research. Average sea surface temperatures hit new records in 2023 and 2024. The rate of ocean warming has more than doubled since 1993, according to the UN.

Delhi records over 200,000 respiratory illness cases due to toxic air

New Delhi recorded over 200,000 cases of acute respiratory illnesses at six government hospitals between 2022 and 2024, government figures showed, highlighting the harmful effects of toxic air on health. Delhi, with its metropolitan area of 30 million residents, is regularly ranked among the world's most polluted capitals. 

India's Health Ministry told Parliament on Tuesday that air pollution is a major trigger for respiratory diseases. "Analysis suggests that an increase in pollution levels was linked to a rise in the number of patients visiting emergency rooms," said Prataprao Jadhav, a health minister, in a written reply. Over 30,000 people with respiratory illnesses required hospitalization over the three years. An Indian Council of Medical Research study across five sites found that spikes in pollution levels were directly connected to higher emergency room visits for respiratory complaints.

The search for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 will resume on December 30, according to Malaysia's Transport Ministry on Wednesday, more than a decade after the aircraft disappeared in one of the world's biggest aviation mysteries. Flight MH370, a Boeing 777, was carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew members when it vanished en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing in 2014. Multiple search efforts have been carried out since then, but none have succeeded. 

Exploration firm Ocean Infinity confirmed it will restart seabed searches for 55 days, to be done intermittently, the Transport Ministry said. "The search will be carried out in (a) targeted area assessed to have the highest chance of finding the aircraft," it said in a statement. Malaysia will pay the firm $70 million if substantive wreckage is found during the search for wreckage on the seabed in an area in the southern Indian Ocean covering 15,000 sq km. 

Samsung unveils first multi-folding phone

Samsung unveiled its first multi-folding smartphone on Tuesday in a bid to strengthen its position in a phone market segment where competition is expected to increase. 

The launch of the Galaxy Z TriFold underscores Samsung's efforts to maintain its standing in a segment where rivals are making progress, even though analysts say the high price and production difficulties suggest foldable devices will likely remain a niche market for now.

(Cover: A destroyed house after floods and landslides in Hutanapolon village, Tuka district, Central Thapanuli Regency, North Sumatra, Indonesia, December 3, 2025. /CFP)