Udate: Aceh Sumatra Disaster Reaches 776 People, 564 Still Missing

Air photos of the impact of post-flood damage in Rigeb Village, Blangkejeren District, Gayo Lues Regency, Aceh, Tuesday (2/12/2025). (ANTARA)

JAKARTA - The flash floods and landslides that hit three provinces in Sumatra, namely Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra for more than a week have continued to have a major impact. In addition to the increasing number of casualties, infrastructure damage and public facilities are also increasingly widespread.

Based on the latest data from the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) as of Thursday, December 4, the number of victims who died was 776 people, while 564 people were still missing. In addition, 2,600 residents were injured due to the hydrometeorological disaster that has occurred since the end of November 2025.

Of the total 50 districts/cities affected, the damage to residents' houses reached 10,400 units. This disaster also damaged 354 public facilities, 132 houses of worship, nine health facilities, as well as 100 buildings and offices. In the education sector, 213 educational facilities were damaged, while 295 bridges were affected and most of them could not be passed.

Of the three affected provinces, North Sumatra became the area with the highest number of deaths, namely 299 people. The high rainfall, the area of impact, and the large number of settlements in watersheds make the scale of damage in this province larger.

Aceh occupies the second position with 277 deaths, followed by West Sumatra which recorded 200 deaths. These three provinces experienced flash floods and landslides almost simultaneously after extreme rains flushed the northern part of Sumatra.

Based on regencies/cities, Agam Regency, West Sumatra, has become the most affected area with 147 victims dying. Flash floods carrying large volumes of wood and mud made many residents not have time to save themselves.

In second place, North Aceh recorded 112 deaths. Geographical conditions of the areas traversed by many rivers caused flood currents to move quickly and hit settlements.

Meanwhile, Central Tapanuli in North Sumatra reported 86 deaths. A number of bridges and road access were cut off, so that the evacuation and distribution of aid was hampered in the early days of the incident.

Until now, the search for missing victims and evacuation is still ongoing. BNPB, Basarnas, TNI-Polri, and local governments continue to deploy a joint team to accelerate emergency handling. The government is also evaluating environmental damage that is suspected to have also exacerbated the disaster scale.