Sumatra flood toll hits 631, one million in shelters

The death toll in deadly flooding and landslides across Sumatra rose on Tuesday to 631, with one million people evacuated, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency said.

Report informs via The Jakarta Post that government agencies and aid groups are rushing to get aid to those affected, while rescuers search for 472 people still listed as missing.

Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand have suffered devastation after a rare tropical storm formed in the Malacca Strait unleashed torrential rains and wind gusts for a week that hampered efforts to reach people stranded by mudslides and high floodwaters.

At least 176 have been killed in Thailand and three in Malaysia, while the death toll climbed to 604 in Indonesia on Monday with 464 missing, according to official figures.

Under sunshine and clear blue skies in the town of Palembayan in West Sumatra, hundreds of people were clearing mud, trees and wreckage from roads as some residents tried to salvage valuable items like documents and motorcycles from their damaged homes.