The death toll from a devastating flood and landslide crisis across South and Southeast Asia has surged past 1,140, with four nations reeling from the impact of intense monsoon rains exacerbated by rare tropical storm systems.

Indonesia has reported the heaviest losses, confirming 604 fatalities and hundreds still missing in Sumatra, where flash floods wiped out villages and severed roads.

Sri Lanka, hit by Cyclone Ditwah, has confirmed 366 deaths and declared a state of emergency, while Thailand and Malaysia have recorded 176 and three casualties, respectively.

Meteorologists attribute the prolonged, extreme rainfall to a rare convergence of tropical systems with seasonal monsoon weather.

These “turbo-charged” storms left residents clinging to rooftops and cut entire communities off from assistance as collapsing infrastructure and damaged communication lines hampered relief efforts. Survivors described the waters rising “faster than ever.”

In response, both Sri Lanka and Indonesia have mobilized military personnel, deploying air and naval assets to airlift supplies and reach isolated areas.

Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake called the event the “largest and most challenging natural disaster in our history,” marking the worst losses since the 2004 Asian tsunami.

Even as waters begin to drop in some areas, rescue teams are scrambling to reach hundreds missing, with the immense challenge of assessing infrastructural damage amplified by growing public criticism of the slow initial relief response.