In brief
Flooding in Indonesia caused by a rare cyclone has resulted in over 600 fatalities and affected approximately 1.5 million people. Rescue operations face significant challenges as nearly 500 individuals are still missing and many areas remain cut off. Criticism of the government's disaster response is mounting, with calls for action regarding environmental mismanagement. The devastation extends beyond Indonesia, with significant losses reported in several other Asian nations.
The death toll in the floods which struck Indonesia last week has now climbed to 631 on Tuesday, with rescue workers still battling to reach affected areas.
The floods, which were caused by a rare cyclone that had formed over the Malacca Strait, have hit three provinces and impacted some 1.5 million people, according to the government's disaster agency.
Nearly 500 people remain missing, while thousands more have been injured.
Indonesia is just one part of Asia which has been hit with torrential rain and storms in recent days, with Thailand, Malaysia, and Sri Lanka all also reporting deaths.
In Indonesia, the provinces of Aceh, North Sumatra and West Sumatra have been hardest hit, with thousands still cut off and without critical supplies.
About one million people have been evacuated, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency said.
Arini Amalia, a resident from Aceh's Pidie Jaya Regency, told the BBC the flood waters had been like a tsunami.
According to my grandmother, this is the worst, the worst in her life, Amalia said.
Aid workers have been trying to reach people on foot and by motorcycle, as many roads are impassable to larger vehicles.
Pictures from the region show bridges washed away, roads covered in mud and debris, and logs piled high.
As rescue efforts continue, anger has started to grow towards the government's disaster response.
Critics say that authorities were ill-prepared for the floods. Some have blamed bureaucratic red tape for slowing down the distribution of food aid.
On Monday, President Prabowo Subianto - who was visiting some of the flood-affected areas - acknowledged some roads were still cut off, but added we're doing everything we can to overcome difficulties.
Across South and South East Asia, about 1,200 people have been killed in the last week in flooding and landslides. In Sri Lanka, at least 390 people died, while in Thailand the death toll has reached at least 176.
