Bangkok/Colombo: Severe storms, torrential rains, floods, and landslides have caused massive destruction across several Asian countries, leaving more than 1,100 people dead within a week and affecting millions of residents.
Indonesia suffered the highest casualties with 604 deaths, followed by Sri Lanka with 366, Thailand with 176, and Malaysia reporting 3 fatalities. Thousands have been displaced, while widespread damage to homes and infrastructure has crippled daily life in many regions.
Sri Lanka has declared a state of emergency as authorities struggle to respond to large-scale losses. President Anura Kumara described the devastation as more severe than the 2004 tsunami in terms of its broader impact.
According to the global humanitarian organization Save the Children, thousands of children in Indonesia and Thailand are unable to attend school due to floods and landslides. In southern Thailand alone, nearly 76,000 children have been cut off from education because schools are either damaged or inaccessible.
The situation in Indonesia is equally grave, where more than 1,000 schools have been destroyed or forced to close. Many schools are being used as temporary emergency shelters, further disrupting the academic process.
Save the Children warned that children require not only educational support but also urgent psychological assistance and safety measures, and the ongoing rains may worsen the crisis further.
Meanwhile, under the influence of Cyclone Dattuwa, heavy rainfall continues in India’s Tamil Nadu state, where flight operations in Chennai have been suspended.
