Twin Cyclones Senyar and Ditwah Leave Over 1,000 Dead Across Asia

Two devastating cyclones, Senyar and Ditwah, have unleashed unprecedented destruction across Southeast Asia, claiming over 1,000 lives and displacing tens of thousands in Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, and Malaysia, with ripple effects reaching India's southern coast. The back-to-back storms, fuelled by a rare atmospheric convergence, struck in late November 2025, exacerbating seasonal monsoon rains and triggering catastrophic flooding, landslides, and infrastructure collapse.

According to official tallies reported on December 1, Indonesia bore the brunt with 502 fatalities primarily in Sumatra from Senyar's fury, followed by 355 deaths and 366 missing in Sri Lanka due to Ditwah, 176 in Thailand, and two in Malaysia, pushing the regional toll to at least 1,035. Tens of thousands remain homeless, with rescue operations hampered by inaccessible terrain and ongoing downpours, as communities grapple with the loss of homes, crops, and livelihoods in one of the world's most climate-vulnerable zones.

Cyclone Senyar emerged as a deep depression in the Strait of Malacca around November 25, an unusually rare formation for the area that intensified into a powerful storm before dissipating over the South China Sea by November 30, according to the Hong Kong Observatory. The cyclone battered Indonesia's Sumatra island with relentless rains and gale-force winds, causing mudslides that buried entire villages in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra, while flooding Riau province and displacing over 500,000 people.

In southern Thailand, Senyar's outer bands triggered flash floods that submerged more than two million households, devastating rubber and palm oil plantations and racking up economic losses estimated at 23.6 billion baht (about USD 734 million). Malaysia's Peninsular regions saw brief but intense landfall, leading to isolated fatalities and widespread power outages. Meteorologists attribute Senyar's potency to warmer sea surface temperatures linked to climate change, which have made such atypical cyclones more frequent in recent years.

Also Read: Chennai Reels Under Torrential Rains; Andhra on High Alert as Cyclone Ditwah’s Remnants Persist

Hot on Senyar's heels, Cyclone Ditwah formed over the southwest Bay of Bengal on November 27, rapidly strengthening before making landfall near Colombo, Sri Lanka, on November 29, where it combined with the northeast monsoon to unleash record-breaking deluges. The storm triggered massive mudslides and river overflows, inundating Colombo's outskirts like Wellampitiya and Peliyagoda, where stranded vehicles and submerged homes became grim symbols of the chaos; over 1.1 million Sri Lankans were directly impacted, with more than 370 still missing amid treacherous search efforts.

As Ditwah skirted eastward without full landfall in India, its remnants brought heavy rains to Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and southern Andhra Pradesh, causing at least a dozen fatalities from localised flooding and disrupting coastal transport. This rare clustering of storms—alongside Typhoon Koto in the Philippines—highlights a meteorological anomaly, where interacting low-pressure systems drew in moisture-laden air, amplifying rainfall by up to 200% above seasonal norms, as analysed by experts at the University of Reading.

The twin cyclones underscore Southeast Asia's escalating vulnerability to extreme weather, driven by human-induced climate shifts that intensify storm frequency and ferocity in the warming Indian Ocean. Relief efforts are underway, with international aid from organisations like the Red Cross and UN agencies delivering food, shelter, and medical supplies to affected areas, while governments declare emergencies and mobilise troops for rebuilding. In Indonesia and Thailand, focus remains on preventing disease outbreaks in flooded camps, as a drier pattern is forecasted for mid-December. As recovery begins, calls grow for enhanced early warning systems and resilient infrastructure, with scientists warning that without global emissions cuts, such "twin storm horrors" could become the new normal, threatening millions in this densely populated corridor.

Also Read: Sri Lanka Declares Emergency After Cyclone Ditwah Kills 132, Thousands Displaced