ASIATODAY.ID, JAKARTA — The scale of the catastrophic Sumatra floods and landslides continues to grow as Indonesia’s National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) released updated figures on Thursday, December 11, 2025. The agency confirmed 990 fatalities and 222 people still missing across Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra.
BNPB’s Head of Disaster Data, Information, and Communication, Abdul Muhari, said 21 additional bodies were recovered today, raising the death toll significantly from the previous day.
Latest Death Toll and Missing Persons by Province
According to BNPB’s latest update, the breakdown of casualties from the Sumatra disaster is as follows:
North Sumatra: 343 dead, 98 missing
Aceh: 407 dead, 31 missing
West Sumatra: 240 dead, 96 missing
Search and rescue teams are still deployed across multiple isolated areas, working to recover victims, restore road access, and deliver emergency aid.
Nearly One Million Evacuated as Floods Persist
The number of Sumatra flood evacuees remains staggering. The Indonesian military (TNI) reported 902,545 displaced people, down from over 1 million evacuees earlier in the week.
Brigadier General Osmar Silalahi, Deputy Head of TNI’s Information Center, said the decline indicates that some residents have started returning home as conditions improve.
However, TNI forces continue delivering logistics, clearing blocked roads, and assisting with evacuations in heavily affected districts.
Mass Burial Held in West Sumatra for Unidentified Victims
In West Sumatra, 24 victims who could not be identified were buried in a mass grave at the Bungus Public Cemetery in Padang. Authorities said DNA matching efforts failed even after 12 days of examination.
Provincial Secretary Arry Yuswandi explained that all 24 coffins were placed in a single burial site due to the lack of identification matches.
West Sumatra Police Chief Inspector General Gatot Tri Suryanta reported a total of 351 victims in the province: 238 confirmed dead, 20 seriously injured, and 93 still missing.
State of Emergency Extended in North Sumatra
The state of emergency for North Sumatra has been extended from 10–23 December 2025, covering 18 districts and cities that remain unsafe.
Basarin Yunus Tanjung, Executive Chair of the Regional Emergency Response Post, said the extension is crucial to accelerate search efforts, reopen transportation routes, and ensure aid reaches remote communities.
Isolated Villages Face Disease Outbreaks
Some of the worst devastation occurred in Garoga Village, Batang Toru District, where homes were swept away and major roads collapsed. Rescue teams are relying solely on boats to reach the area.
Commander Zaenal Mukhlisin of the North Sumatra Mobile Brigade Unit said residents are beginning to suffer from illnesses due to lack of clean water and prolonged isolation, heightening concerns over secondary health crises.
BNPB: Search, Verification, and Aid Distribution Continue
BNPB emphasized that data collection and verification are ongoing as new reports emerge from field personnel.
Priority actions include: recovery of missing victims, restoring transportation links, speeding up logistics distribution, stabilizing high-risk zones.
The Sumatra floods have become one of Indonesia’s most devastating natural disasters in recent years, leaving deep humanitarian and infrastructural challenges that will take months—if not years—to resolve. (AT Network)
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