AFP Asia

Regions hit by floods that killed hundreds in Indonesia were suffering from food and medical shortages, authorities said, as elephants pitched in on Monday to help clear up debris.Tropical storms and monsoon rains have pummelled Southeast and South Asia this month, triggering landslides and flash floods from the rainforests of Indonesia’s western Sumatra island to highland plantations in Sri Lanka.”Everything is lacking, especially medical personnel. We are short on doctors,” Muzakir Manaf, the governor of Indonesia’s Aceh province, told reporters late Sunday.Indonesia’s national disaster mitigation agency (BNPB) said 961 people in Aceh, North Sumatra and West Sumatra had been killed, while 293 were missing. More than a million people were displaced, the agency said.Sri Lanka’s military meanwhile deployed thousands of extra troops to aid recovery efforts after a devastating cyclone caused a wave of destruction and killed 635 people.In Pidie Jaya, a district in Indonesia’s Aceh badly affected by the floods, four elephants from a nearby training centre picked up large pieces of rubble with their trunks and helped shift stuck vehicles.”We brought four elephants to clear the debris from the houses of the communities that were swept away by the flood,” Hadi Sofyan, the head of a local conservation agency, told AFP.”Our target is to clean the debris near the residents’ houses so they can access their homes,” he said, adding the elephants would be used for the rest of the week.The downpours and subsequent landslides throughout western Indonesia have injured at least 5,000 people and devastated infrastructure, including schools and hospitals.In the city of Banda Aceh, long queues formed for drinking water and fuel, and prices of basic commodities such as eggs were skyrocketing, an AFP correspondent said.Costs to rebuild after the disaster could run up to 51.82 trillion rupiah ($3.1 billion), the BNPB said late Sunday.- Extra troops -In Sri Lanka, more than two million people — nearly 10 percent of the population — have been affected by Cyclone Ditwah, the worst on the island this century.Sri Lanka is expecting further heavy monsoon rains this week, topping five centimetres in many places, the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) said. It issued warnings of further landslides.Army chief Lasantha Rodrigo said 38,500 security personnel had been deployed to boost recovery and clean-up operations in flood-affected and landslide-hit areas, nearly doubling the initial deployment.”Since the disaster, security forces have been able to rescue 31,116 people who were in distress,” Rodrigo said in a statement.President Anura Kumara Dissanayake unveiled a recovery package, offering 10 million rupees ($33,000) for victims to buy land in safer areas and rebuild.The government will also offer livelihood support and cash assistance to replace kitchen utensils and bedding and to buy food.It is not clear how much the relief package will cost the government, which is still emerging from an economic meltdown in 2022 when it ran out of foreign exchange reserves to finance even essential imports.Dissanayake has said the government cannot fund reconstruction alone and has appealed for foreign assistance, including from the International Monetary Fund. Seasonal monsoon rains are a feature of life in South Asia and Southeast Asia, flooding rice fields and nourishing the growth of other key crops. However, climate change is making the phenomenon more erratic, unpredictable, and deadly throughout the regions.

Sri Lanka has doubled its military deployment to regions struck by a cyclone that has killed 635, sending tens of thousands of troops to help areas hit by a wave of destruction, the army said Monday.More than two million people — nearly 10 percent of the population — have been affected by the disaster caused by Cyclone Ditwah, the worst on the island this century.Sri Lanka is expecting further heavy monsoon rains on Monday, topping 75 millimetres in many places, including the worst-affected central region, the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) said. It has also issued warnings of further landslides.”Given that mountain slopes are already saturated with rain water since last week, even slight showers could make them unstable again,” a DMC official said, urging those evacuated from high-risk areas not to return.The DMC has confirmed 635 deaths, with another 192 people unaccounted for since November 27, when intense rains brought on by Cyclone Ditwah triggered landslides and floods.The disaster management agency warned residents to “take adequate precautions to minimise damage caused by temporary localised strong winds and lightning during thundershowers”.Army chief Lasantha Rodrigo said 38,500 security personnel had been sent to boost recovery and clean-up operations in flood-affected and landslide-hit areas, nearly doubling the inital deployment.”Since the disaster, security forces have been able to rescue 31,116 people who were in distress,” Rodrigo said in a pre-recorded statement.Army spokesman Waruna Gamage said additional troops were deployed as the rescue efforts turned into a recovery operation.”We have almost doubled the deployment as we are now engaged in rebuilding roads, bridges and also helping with the clean-up of drinking water wells contaminated with floodwaters,” Gamage told AFP.The tea-growing central region was the hardest hit, with 471 deaths reported, according to official data.President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who has described the disaster as the most challenging faced by any Sri Lankan government, visited affected areas on Monday to monitor relief operations.He has also unveiled a recovery package offering 10 million rupees ($33,000) for victims to buy land in safer areas and rebuild.The government will also offer livelihood support and cash assistance to replace kitchen utensils, bedding and to buy food.It is not yet clear how much the relief package will cost the government, which is still emerging from an economic meltdown in 2022, when it ran out of foreign exchange reserves to finance even essential imports.Dissanayake has said the government cannot fund the reconstruction costs alone and has appealed for foreign assistance, including from the International Monetary Fund.Plane loads of fresh relief supplies arrived from the United Arab Emirates and China while India sent four landing craft with food and essentials, officials said.Japanese doctors were running a medical clinic in Chilaw, about 90 kilometres (56 miles) north of the capital, where the local hospital was struggling after floods.More than 85,000 homes have been damaged in the disaster, including over 5,000 that were completely destroyed. A senior official earlier estimated recovery and reconstruction costs could reach US$7 billion.

Officials in flood-hit parts of Indonesia reported shortages of food, shelter, and medicine as the death toll reached 950 Monday following weeks of heavy rain.A slew of tropical storms and monsoon rains has pummelled Southeast and South Asia, triggering landslides and flash floods from the rainforests of Indonesia’s western Sumatra island to the highland plantations of Sri Lanka.”Everything is lacking, especially medical personnel. We are short on doctors,” Muzakir Manaf, governor of Indonesia’s Aceh province, told reporters late Sunday. “Basic necessities are also important. It’s not just one or two items.”Indonesia’s national disaster mitigation agency (BNPB) said 950 people in Aceh, North Sumatra and West Sumatra had been killed, while 274 were missing.The downpours and subsequent landslides injured at least 5,000 people and devastated infrastructure.Hospitals, schools and offices are in ruins, while many bridges have been destroyed, cutting off communities.Costs to rebuild after the disaster could run up to 51.82 trillion rupiah ($3.1 billion), the BNPB said late Sunday.- Extra troops -In Sri lanka, the military deployed thousands of extra troops to aid recovery efforts there after a devastating cyclone cut a swathe of destruction killing 627 people More than two million people — nearly 10 percent of the population — have been affected by Cyclone Ditwah, the worst on the island this century.Sri Lanka is expecting further heavy monsoon rains on Monday, topping five centimetres in many places, the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) said. It issued warnings of further landslides.Army chief Lasantha Rodrigo said 38,500 security personnel had been deployed to boost recovery and clean-up operations in flood-affected and landslide-hit areas, nearly doubling the initial deployment.”Since the disaster, security forces have been able to rescue 31,116 people who were in distress,” Rodrigo said in a statement.President Anura Kumara Dissanayake unveiled a recovery package, offering 10 million rupees ($33,000) for victims to buy land in safer areas and rebuild.There is also livelihood support and cash assistance to replace kitchen utensils and bedding and to buy food.It is not clear how much the relief package will cost the government, which is still emerging from economic meltdown in 2022 when it ran out of foreign exchange to finance even the most essential imports.Dissanayake has said the government cannot fund reconstruction alone and has appealed for foreign assistance, including from the International Monetary Fund.In Indonesia’s Banda Aceh, long queues formed for drinking water and fuel, and prices of basic commodities such as eggs were skyrocketing, an AFP correspondent said. Seasonal monsoon rains are a feature of life in South Asia and Southeast Asia, flooding rice fields and nourishing the growth of other key crops. However, climate change is making the phenomenon more erratic, unpredictable, and deadly throughout the regions.

Sri Lanka has almost doubled its military deployment to regions struck by a cyclone that has killed 627, sending tens of thousands of troops to help areas hit by a wave of destruction, the army said Monday.More than two million people — nearly 10 percent of the population — have been affected by the disaster caused by Cyclone Ditwah, the worst on the island this century.Sri Lanka is expecting further heavy monsoon rains on Monday, topping 50 millimetres in many places, including the worst-affected central region, the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) said. It has also issued warnings of further landslides.The DMC has confirmed 627 deaths, with another 190 people unaccounted for since November 27, when intense rains brought on by Cyclone Ditwah triggered landslides and floods.The disaster management agency warned residents to “take adequate precautions to minimise damage caused by temporary localised strong winds and lightning during thundershowers”.Army chief Lasantha Rodrigo said 38,500 security personnel had been deployed to boost recovery and clean-up operations in flood-affected and landslide-hit areas, nearly doubling the inital deployment.”Since the disaster, security forces have been able to rescue 31,116 people who were in distress,” Rodrigo said in a pre-recorded statement.Army spokesman Waruna Gamage said additional troops were deployed as the rescue efforts turned into a recovery operation.”We have almost doubled the deployment as we are now engaged in rebuilding roads, bridges and also helping with the clean-up of drinking water wells contaminated with floodwaters,” Gamage told AFP.The tea-growing central region was the hardest hit, with 471 deaths reported, according to official data.President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who has described the disaster as the most challenging faced by any Sri Lankan government, last week visited affected areas to monitor relief operations.He also unveiled a recovery package offering 10 million rupees ($33,000) for victims to buy land in safer areas and rebuild.The government will also offer livelihood support and cash assistance to replace kitchen utensils, bedding and to buy food.It is not yet clear how much the relief package will cost the government, which is still emerging from its worst economic meltdown in 2022, when it ran out of foreign exchange to finance even the most essential imports.Dissanayake has said the government cannot fund the reconstruction costs alone and has appealed for foreign assistance, including from the International Monetary Fund.More than 75,000 homes have been damaged in the disaster, including nearly 5,000 that were completely destroyed. A senior official earlier estimated recovery and reconstruction costs could reach US$7 billion.

The United Nations called on the Taliban authorities on Sunday to lift its ban on Afghan women working in its offices, saying the restriction puts “life-saving services” at risk.Since the Taliban regained power in 2021, Afghan women have been barred from doing most jobs, visiting parks and beauty salons, and attending school beyond the age of 12.In September, the Taliban authorities began prohibiting women staff members from entering UN offices.”We call for the ban on Afghan women staff and contractors from entering United Nations premises to be reversed, and for their safe access to offices and the field,” Susan Ferguson, the special representative of the UN’s women’s agency in Afghanistan, said in a statement.”The longer these restrictions remain in place, the greater the risk to these life-saving services,” Ferguson said, adding that they violated the UN’s principles of human rights and equality.The statement did not say how many staff were affected, but UN sources indicated that several hundred women were facing the ban.Staff have been working remotely for the past three months, notably providing assistance to the victims of deadly earthquakes and to Afghan migrants deported from neighbouring Pakistan and Iran, Ferguson said.Describing their work as “indispensable”, she said: “Only through their presence can we reach women and girls safely and provide culturally appropriate assistance.”The Taliban authorities did not immediately respond to an AFP request for comment.In September, the UN’s refugee agency suspended cash aid to returned Afghan migrants, citing the impossibility of interviewing and collecting information on the more than 50 percent of returnees who were women. 

Bangladeshi police began exhuming on Sunday a mass grave believed to contain around 114 unidentified victims of a mass uprising that toppled autocratic former prime minister Sheikh Hasina last year.The UN-supported effort is being advised by Argentine forensic anthropologist Luis Fondebrider, who has led recovery and identification missions at mass graves worldwide for decades.The bodies were buried at the Rayerbazar Graveyard in Dhaka by the volunteer group Anjuman Mufidul Islam, which said it handled 80 unclaimed bodies in July and another 34 in August 2024 — all people reported to have been killed during weeks of deadly protests.The United Nations says up to 1,400 people were killed in crackdowns as Hasina attempted to cling to power — deaths that formed part of her conviction last month for crimes against humanity.Criminal Investigation Department (CID) chief Md Sibgat Ullah said investigators believed the mass grave held roughly 114 bodies, but the exact number would only be known once exhumations were complete.”We can only confirm once we dig the graves and exhume the bodies,” Ullah told reporters.- ‘Searched for him’ -Among those hoping for answers is Mohammed Nabil, who is searching for the remains of his brother Sohel Rana, 28, who vanished in July 2024.”We searched for him everywhere,” Nabil told AFP. He said his family first suspected Rana’s death after seeing a Facebook video, then recognised his clothing — a blue T-shirt and black trousers — in a photograph taken by burial volunteers.Exhumed bodies will be given post-mortem examinations and DNA testing. The process is expected to take several weeks to complete.”It’s been more than a year, so it won’t be possible to extract DNA from the soft tissues,” senior police officer Abu Taleb told AFP. “Working with bones would be more time-consuming.”Forensic experts from four Dhaka medical colleges are part of the team, with Fondebrider brought in to offer support as part of an agreement with the UN rights body the OHCHR.”The process is complex and unique,” Fondebrider told reporters. “We will guarantee that international standards will be followed.”Fondebrider previously headed the Argentine Forensic Anthropology Team, founded in 1984 to investigate the tens of thousands who disappeared during Argentina’s former military dictatorship.Authorities say the exhumed bodies will be reburied in accordance with religious rites and their families’ wishes.Hasina, convicted in absentia last month and sentenced to death, remains in self-imposed exile in India.

Sri Lankan authorities issued fresh landslide warnings on Sunday with rains lashing areas already devastated by a powerful cyclone, as the death toll rose to 627.A chain of tropical storms and monsoon rains has battered Southeast and South Asia, setting off landslides, flooding vast tracts and cutting off communities from Sumatra island’s rainforests to the highland plantations of Sri Lanka.At least 1,826 people have been killed in the natural disasters rolling across Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam over the past two weeks.Indonesia’s president on Sunday vowed to step up aid, with demonstrators rallying after the country’s death toll surpassed 900.More than two million people in Sri Lanka — nearly 10 percent of the population — have been affected by last week’s floods and landslides triggered by Cyclone Ditwah, the worst on the island this century.The Disaster Management Centre (DMC) said monsoon storms were adding more rain and making hillsides unstable, including in the central mountainous region and the northwestern midlands.Helicopters and planes were being used on Sunday to supply communities cut off by landslides in the centre of the country.The Sri Lanka Air Force said it had received a planeload of relief supplies from Myanmar on Sunday, the latest batch of foreign aid.The government has confirmed 627 dead — 471 from the lush tea-growing central region — while 190 people remain unaccounted for.The number of people in state-run camps had dropped to 90,000 from a peak of 225,000 as floodwaters receded across the island by Sunday, the DMC said.More than 80,000 homes were damaged, including close to 5,000 that were completely destroyed, it added.- ‘National priority’ -In Indonesia, President Prabowo Subianto on Sunday flew back to Sumatra’s hard-hit Aceh province, with a ministry saying his visit was “to ensure the acceleration of emergency response and recovery in affected areas”.The Indonesian government has so far shrugged off calls to declare a national disaster, which would free up resources and help government agencies coordinate their response. The toll in Indonesia on Sunday climbed to 921 dead, with 392 still missing.Prabowo will also “monitor the distribution of aid, the evacuation process of residents, and measures to reopen road access”, the Ministry of the State Secretariat said.Speaking shortly after arriving in the provincial capital Banda Aceh, Prabowo promised that “we will put all our efforts into this, and later we will repair all the bridges, hopefully within one or two weeks”.Long queues formed for drinking water and fuel in Banda Aceh, and prices of basic commodities like eggs were skyrocketing, an AFP correspondent said.Syahrul, a 35-year-old protester in northern Aceh, accused Prabowo and other officials of engaging in “disaster tourism”.”We don’t need officials to just observe. We need their presence to address the issues faced by the community,” Syahrul, who only gave one name, told AFP.In Sri Lanka, the government unveiled a major compensation package on Friday to rebuild homes and revive businesses wiped out by the natural disaster, which hit the island as it was emerging from its 2022 economic meltdown.A senior official earlier said recovery and reconstruction might cost up to $7 billion.The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said on Friday it was considering Sri Lanka’s request for an additional $200 million to help with rebuilding.The money is on top of the $347 million tranche due later this month, part of a four-year, $2.9 billion IMF bailout loan agreed in 2023.President Anura Kumara Dissanayake told parliament on Friday that Sri Lanka’s economy had made a significant recovery, but was not strong enough to withstand the latest shock alone.

Sri Lankan authorities issued fresh landslide warnings on Sunday with rains lashing areas already devastated by a powerful cyclone, as the death toll rose to 618.A chain of tropical storms and monsoonal rains has battered Southeast and South Asia, setting off landslides, flooding vast tracts and cutting off communities from Sumatra island’s rainforests to the highland plantations of Sri Lanka.At least 1,812 people have been killed in the natural disasters rolling across Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam over the past two weeks.Indonesia’s president on Sunday vowed to step up aid, with demonstrators rallying after the country’s death toll surpassed 900. More than two million people in Sri Lanka — nearly 10 percent of the population — have been affected by last week’s floods and landslides triggered by Cyclone Ditwah, the worst on the island this century.The Disaster Management Centre (DMC) said monsoon storms were adding more rain and making hillsides unstable, including in the central mountainous region and the north-western midlands.Helicopters and planes were being used on Sunday to supply communities cut off by landslides in the centre of the country.The Sri Lanka Air Force said it had received a planeload of relief supplies from Myanmar on Sunday, the latest batch of foreign aid.The government has confirmed 618 dead — 464 from the lush tea-growing central region — while 209 people remain unaccounted for.The number of people in state-run camps had dropped to 100,000 from a peak of 225,000 as floodwaters receded across the island by Sunday, the DMC said.More than 75,000 homes were damaged, including close to 5,000 that were completely destroyed, it added.- ‘Disaster tourism’ -In Indonesia, President Prabowo Subianto on Sunday flew back to Sumatra’s hard-hit Aceh province, with a ministry saying his visit was “to ensure the acceleration of emergency response and recovery in affected areas”.The Indonesian government has so far shrugged off calls to declare a national disaster, which would free up resources and help government agencies coordinate their response. The toll in Indonesia on Sunday remained at 916 dead, with 274 still missing.Prabowo will also “monitor the distribution of aid, the evacuation process of residents, and measures to reopen road access,” the Ministry of the State Secretariat said.”The government emphasises that the handling of the floods in Aceh is a national priority and all resources are being mobilised to expedite the recovery of community conditions,” it added in a statement.Speaking shortly after arriving in the capital Banda Aceh, Prabowo promised that “we will put all our efforts into this, and later we will repair all the bridges, hopefully within one or two weeks”.Many survivors said their greatest need remained clean drinking water.Some victims accused the Indonesian leader and other officials of engaging in “disaster tourism” and failing to address the crisis.”We see that, including Prabowo’s visit in Bireuen today, it seems like a disaster tourism trip,” said Syahrul, a 35-year-old protester in northern Aceh province.”We don’t need officials to just observe. We need their presence to address the issues faced by the community,” Syahrul told AFP.Protesters carried placards reading: “The Aceh disaster is not a tourist spot; it’s not enough for Prabowo to just take a stroll.”In Sri Lanka, the government unveiled a major compensation package on Friday to rebuild homes and revive businesses wiped out by the natural disaster, which hit the island as it was emerging from its 2022 economic meltdown.A senior official earlier said recovery and reconstruction might cost up to $7 billion.The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said on Friday it was considering Sri Lanka’s request for an additional $200 million to help with rebuilding.The money is on top of the $347 million tranche due later this month, part of a four-year, $2.9 billion IMF bailout loan agreed in 2023.President Anura Kumara Dissanayake told parliament on Friday that Sri Lanka’s economy had made a significant recovery, but was not strong enough to withstand the latest shock alone.

Sri Lankan authorities issued fresh landslide warnings on Sunday with rains lashing areas already devastated by a powerful cyclone, as the death toll rose to 618.More than two million people — nearly 10 percent of the population — have been affected by last week’s floods and landslides triggered by Cyclone Ditwah, the worst on the island this century.The Disaster Management Centre (DMC) said monsoon storms were adding more rain and making hillsides unstable, including the central mountainous region and the north-western midlands.Helicopters and planes were being used on Sunday to supply communities cut off by landslides in the centre of the country.The Sri Lanka Air Force said it had received a planeload of relief supplies from Myanmar on Sunday, the latest batch of foreign aid.The government has confirmed 618 dead — 464 from the lush tea-growing central region — while 209 people remain unaccounted for.The number of people in state-run refugee camps had dropped to 100,000 from a peak of 225,000 as floodwaters receded across the island by Sunday, the DMC said.More than 75,000 homes were damaged, including close to 5,000 that were completely destroyed, it added.The government on Friday unveiled a major compensation package to rebuild homes and revive businesses wiped out by the natural disaster, which hit the island as it was emerging from its 2022 economic meltdown.A senior official earlier said recovery and reconstruction might cost up to $7 billion.The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said on Friday it was considering Sri Lanka’s request for an additional $200 million to help with rebuilding.The money is on top of the $347 million tranche due later this month, part of a four-year, $2.9 billion IMF bailout loan agreed in 2023.President Anura Kumara Dissanayake told parliament on Friday that Sri Lanka’s economy had made a significant recovery, but was not strong enough to withstand the latest shock alone.Survivors will be offered up to 10 million rupees ($33,000) to buy land in a safer location and build a new house, the finance ministry said in a statement late on Friday.One million rupees is being offered in compensation for each person killed or left permanently disabled.The government did not say how much the package would cost, raising concerns given the country’s recent economic turbulence.The central bank has ordered commercial lenders, both state-owned and private, to reschedule loans.

A  fire that ripped through an Indian nightclub in the popular tourist resort region of Goa killed 25 people, the state’s chief minister said Sunday.Tourists were among the dead in the blaze, which broke out at about midnight at a club in Arpora in the north of the coastal state. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a statement that the deaths were “deeply saddening”.Goa, a former Portuguese colony on the shores of the Arabian Sea, lures millions of tourists every year with its nightlife, sandy beaches and laid-back coastal atmosphere.”Today is a very painful day for all of us,” Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said in a statement, saying that “25 people have lost their lives and six have been injured.”Sawant told journalists that “three to four” tourists had died, without giving their nationalities.”I have ordered a magisterial inquiry into the entire incident to identify the cause and fix responsibility,” Sawant added.- ‘Fire show’ -Video images from the Press Trust of India news agency showed rescuers carrying the injured or dead on stretchers down the narrow stone staircase of the Birch nightclub.”Most people died due to suffocation in the basement and kitchen area,” Nitin V. Raiker, Goa’s fire chief, told Indian broadcaster CNN News18.”I received information that there was a club party going on, and a fire show was organised in the club. The wooden parts of the club caught fire, and smoke spread throughout the building.”Fires are common in India due to poor building practices, overcrowding and a lack of adherence to safety regulations.In May, at least 17 people died after a fire ripped through a three-storey building in the Indian city of Hyderabad.A month before that, a fierce blaze broke out in a hotel in Kolkata, killing at least 15 people. Some people clambered out of windows and onto the rooftop to escape.And last year, at least 24 people died after a fire broke out at a packed amusement park arcade in the western state of Gujarat.