More than 1,100 confirmed dead and 800 missing in catastrophic Asia floods

Rescue and recovery and efforts are under way in parts of South and Southeast Asia where the number of those killed in devastating floods continues to rise.

The extreme weather last week has killed at least 366 people in Sri Lanka, 604 in Indonesia, and 176 in Thailand, according to authorities.

Rescuers are searching for 464 missing people in Indonesia, and a further 367 in Sri Lanka, after a cyclone and other storms triggered flooding and landslides in the region.

In a post on X, the King and Queen Camilla said they were "deeply saddened" to hear about devastating storms and added their "heartfelt condolences" to the families of those who have died.

Hundreds of thousands in shelters in Sri Lanka

Sri Lankan authorities said about 218,000 people were in temporary shelters after downpours that triggered landslides, primarily in the tea-growing central hill country.

People were seen salvaging belongings from flooded homes along the banks of the Kelani River, near the capital Colombo on Monday.

Meanwhile, train and flight services have resumed after being disrupted last week, but schools stayed closed, officials said.

Cyclone Ditwah was the "largest and most challenging" natural disaster in Sri Lanka's history, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said.

The cyclone also brought heavy rain to India's southern state of Tamil Nadu over the weekend, with authorities saying three people were killed in rain-related incidents.

The storm, which as of 5pm UK time on Monday was about 20km (12 miles) off the coast of the state capital Chennai, has weakened into a "deep depression" and was expected to weaken further in the next few hours, weather officials said.

Over a million affected in Indonesia

More than 28,000 homes have been damaged in Indonesia, with 1.4 million people affected by torrential rains following a tropical storm that formed in the Malacca Strait.

The country's president, Prabowo Subianto, called it a catastrophe and pledged to rebuild infrastructure as he visited the three affected provinces on Monday, where nearly 300,000 people have been displaced by the flooding.

'Nothing remains'

"The water just rose up into the house and we were afraid, so we fled. Then we came back on Friday, and the house was gone, destroyed," said Afrianti, 41, who only goes by one name and lives in West Sumatra's Padang city.

She and her family of nine have made their own tent shelter beside the single wall that remains of their home.

"My home and business are gone, the shop is gone. Nothing remains. I can only live near this one remaining wall," she said.

Highest one-day rainfall in Thai city for 300 years

In Thailand, flooding in eight southern provinces affected about three million people and led to a major mobilisation of its military to evacuate critical patients from hospitals and reach people stuck in floodwaters for days.

In the worst-affected city of Hat Yai, a southern trading hub, 335mm (13 inches) of rain fell on 21 November, its highest single-day tally in 300 years, followed by days of unrelenting downpours.

King offers 'heartfelt condolences'

King Charles and Queen Camilla responded to the crisis in a statement posted on X and praised the work of emergency responders: "We wish to express our heartfelt condolences to the families of those who have so tragically lost their lives.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the many whose homes have been destroyed and to all who are awaiting news of loved ones missing.

"These disasters remind us of the increasingly urgent need to restore the balance and harmony of Nature."

Thailand's Prime Minister Anutin Charnivirakul expects residents to be able to return home within seven days, a government spokesperson said on Monday.

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The first batch of compensation payments was set to be distributed on Monday, starting with 239m baht (£5.6m) for 26,000 people, the spokesperson added.

In Malaysia there have been at least three deaths and authorities are still on alert for a second and third wave of flooding as 11,600 remain in evacuation centres.

Sky News

(c) Sky News 2025: More than 1,100 confirmed dead and 800 missing in catastrophic Asia floods

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