Rescue teams across Indonesia are racing against time to reach survivors in isolated regions still submerged after a week of cyclone-fueled torrential rain as authorities confirmed on Saturday, November 30, 2025 that national death toll has climbed to 303 and is anticipated to rise further.

The National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) said more than 100 people remain missing, while over 500 others have been injured in one of the country’s deadliest weather-related disasters in recent years.

“The death toll is believed to be increasing, since many bodies are still missing, while many have not been reached,” BNPB head Suharyanto said told a press conference on Saturday. Search operations intensified in West Sumatra’s Agam district after rescuers recovered additional victims from areas buried by landslides and cut off by collapsed roads.

West Sumatra officials also issued revised figures late Friday. “A total of 75,219 people have been displaced, and 106,806 have been affected throughout West Sumatra,” Spokesman for the provincial disaster agency (BPBD), Ilham Wahab, said. He reported 61 confirmed deaths and 90 people missing in the province alone.

Further north, authorities confirmed 116 deaths in North Sumatra, while Aceh province reported at least 35 fatalities as rivers burst their banks and flash floods swept through mountainside villages, submerging thousands of homes.

Regional crisis

Regionwide, the rare tropical storm that formed in the Malacca Strait has devastated large parts of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand, killing about 400 people across the region.

According to Al-Jazeera, Thailand’s disaster agency reported 145 deaths across eight southern provinces, with floodwaters affecting more than 3.5 million residents. Malaysia recorded two fatalities during the same period.

Although the rain eased late Friday, Indonesian responders say the crisis is far from over. Many villages remain inaccessible due to severed communication lines, collapsed bridges, landslides, and a lack of heavy equipment.

Air support

As ground access remains severely limited, Indonesia has deployed military aircraft to deliver emergency supplies and evacuate victims from remote areas.

On Friday, an Indonesian Air Force H225M Caracal helicopter was dispatched from Sutan Sjahrir Air Base in Padang to support emergency operations in West Sumatra. The aircraft carried members of the regional leadership forum (Forkopimda), including West Sumatra Deputy Governor Vasko Ruseimy, regional military commander Major GeneralArief Gajah Mada, police chief Inspector General Gatot Tri Suryanta, and Air Base Commander Colonel Wahyu Bintoro.

The team conducted an aerial survey over flood-stricken areas, observing widespread infrastructure damage across settlements and major access routes.

Upon arriving in Malalak, Agam Regency, in the afternoon, the delegation delivered packages of relief supplies such as, instant noodles, drinking water, blankets and Indonesia’s cyclone disaster death toll climbs to 303 as rescuers struggle to reach isolated areas


Starlink devices to restore emergency communications for affected communities.

The helicopter later returned to Padang carrying two bodies recovered from Malalak for identification at Bhayangkara Hospital.

Disaster officials warn that the combination of damaged roads, rough terrain, and unstable soil conditions will prolong the search effort for weeks. Relief aircraft continue to support isolated districts, including Central Tapanuli in North Sumatra, where access remains severely restricted.

With tens of thousands displaced and hundreds still unaccounted for, authorities say the priority remains locating survivors, restoring communication links, and stabilizing critical infrastructure before more rain arrives.