At least 81 people are believed to have been injured.

09:23, Thu, Nov 27, 2025 Updated: 13:12, Thu, Nov 27, 2025

Rescuers wade through flood waters by holding a rope in their effort to evacuate residents

Rescuers wade through flood waters by holding a rope in their effort to evacuate residents (Image: AFP via Getty Images)

Horror landslides and floods killed at least 43 people and injured at least 81 more in North Sumatra, Indonesia. North Sumatra regional police spokesman Ferry Walintukan also said that at least 52 people were still reported missing as of Thursday. 

Television coverage depicted the intensity of the rescue efforts, with personnel employing jackhammers, circular saws, farm tools, and even their bare hands to clear areas buried under thick mud, rocks, and uprooted trees. At the same time, teams in rubber boats navigated the flooded river, searching for survivors and assisting vulnerable groups such as children and the elderly, many of whom had been forced to seek refuge on the roofs of submerged homes and buildings. 

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Deadly floods have struck multiple provinces on Sumatra island, causing widespread devastation. In Aceh and West Sumatra, hundreds of homes were inundated, many submerged up to their roofs.

Torrential rains triggered landslides in Central Aceh, where rescuers recovered nine bodies and continue searching for at least two people buried under mud.

The Disaster Mitigation Agency reported that nearly 47,000 residents in Aceh were displaced, with about 1,500 forced into temporary shelters.

Meanwhile, in West Sumatra’s capital Padang, rescue teams found six victims who drowned in floods at the Lumin Park residential area, while more than 3,300 houses in Padang Pariaman district were left underwater.

Indonesia floods

People stay on the river banks during flooding in Padang, West Sumatra province (Image: AFP via Getty Images)

Monsoon rains over the past week caused rivers to burst their banks in North Sumatra province on Tuesday.

The deluge tore through mountainside village, swept away people and submerged more than 2,000 houses and buildings, the National Disaster Management Agency said. Nearly 5,000 residents fled to government shelters.