Indonesia floods: Death toll rises to 69, with tens of thousands displaced

Catastrophic floods and landslides triggered by relentless heavy rains have devastated Sumatra, Indonesia, claiming at least 69 lives (as of 11.50pm, November 27, 2025) and displacing tens of thousands, according to media reports.

Reuters earlier quoted Police official Ferry Walintukan as saying that 43 people had been killed in North Sumatra province alone.

PBS, citing local media sources, reported the total death toll has gone up to 69.

Race against time

Rescue teams are racing against time to evacuate stranded residents and search for missing persons amid rising waters and unstable terrain, with the death toll potentially climbing higher in hard-hit areas like North Sumatra and Aceh.

Videos shared online show terrifying scene of severe floods gobbling up homes.

Nearly 47,000 people have been forced from their homes in Aceh alone, where flash floods have buried villages under mud and debris, as per ABC News.

More downpours

Authorities warn of more downpours into early December, exacerbating the crisis across Southeast Asia, where over 50 deaths have been reported in neighbouring Thailand and Malaysia.

A harrowing video from Nagari Maninjau in West Sumatra's Agam Regency captures the terror on the ground: muddy torrents lap at the yellow stilts of stilt houses, submerging yards and carrying away household items like buckets, tires, and clumps of grass.

Collapsed walls and floating debris reveal the fury of the deluge, with partially uprooted trees and damaged structures underscoring the human toll.

As residents navigate the waist-deep sludge, the scene evokes a muddy onslaught, amplifying calls for urgent aid to support recovery efforts in this vulnerable archipelago.