Cyclones across South and Southeast Asia leave over 1,100 dead

Two destructive storm systems affecting South and Southeast Asia have killed more than 1,100 people and left hundreds missing, according to regional disaster agencies.

In Sri Lanka, at least 334 people have been confirmed dead and 370 remain missing after Cyclone Ditwah brought widespread flooding and landslides while moving across the island between Thursday and Saturday.

Sri Lankan officials said the disaster has affected more than 1.1 million people nationwide. The government has declared a state of emergency, deploying more than 25,000 military personnel for rescue and relief work.

Authorities said three deaths in India have also been linked to Cyclone Ditwah as the system moved near the country’s southern coast.

In Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia, a separate system known as Cyclone Senyar has killed at least 775 people after making landfall near midnight on Wednesday in northern Sumatra, Indonesia, according to regional authorities.

Indonesian authorities reported 505 deaths, while Thailand confirmed 267 and Malaysia reported three. Hundreds of people remain missing.

Officials said the storm weakened as it moved along the Sumatran coast before making a second landfall in Peninsular Malaysia. Meteorological agencies noted that Senyar was an exceptionally rare system, forming near the Equator in the Strait of Malacca, an area that has recorded only one other documented cyclone, Vamei, in 2001.