Indonesia’s National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) confirmed on Saturday that devastating flash floods and massive landslides triggered by days of torrential monsoon rain have killed at least 303 people across three provinces in Sumatra, while 279 others remain missing and are feared buried under collapsed hillsides. The catastrophe has submerged hundreds of settlements, destroyed critical infrastructure, and displaced tens of thousands, with rescue teams struggling to reach remote valleys cut off by swollen rivers and obliterated roads.

North Sumatra has suffered the most catastrophic losses, recording 166 confirmed deaths and 143 people still unaccounted for, many believed to be trapped beneath thick layers of mud that cascaded down deforested slopes. In West Sumatra, authorities reported 90 fatalities and 85 missing, while Aceh province documented 47 deaths and 51 individuals whose whereabouts remain unknown, bringing the combined toll to levels not seen since the 2004 tsunami in parts of the region.

BNPB Chief Suharyanto personally chaired a high-level coordination meeting with provincial disaster units and military commanders, demanding round-the-clock operations as the first clear weather windows finally emerged. He warned that the window for finding survivors is rapidly closing and ordered every available helicopter, excavator, and search dog team to be deployed immediately to the worst-hit districts where entire hamlets have literally vanished from the map.

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The agency has declared three absolute priorities: locate and rescue the 279 missing before hope fades, reopen severed communication networks so isolated communities can request help, and rush food, clean water, medicines, and temporary shelter materials to more than 60,000 evacuees now huddled in schools, mosques, and government buildings. Logistics flights and naval vessels have been mobilised to bypass roads that no longer exist.

With meteorologists forecasting additional heavy rain in the coming days, authorities have issued fresh landslide warnings and appealed for international assistance. Medical teams are on standby for expected outbreaks of water-borne diseases, while the government has declared a 30-day state of emergency across the affected provinces as the grim search for bodies and survivors continues.

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