The village is gone... it's all washed away by the water, "murmured a survivor as he looked at his mud covered home in Aceh Province, northern Sumatra, Indonesia. In early December, continuous heavy rainfall caused floods and landslides, wreaking havoc in many parts of Sumatra Island. According to the Indonesian National Disaster Relief Agency, as of December 5th, the disaster has caused 836 deaths, 2700 injuries, and 518 people missing.  

The provinces of Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra, which suffered the most severe disasters, have accumulated 325, 311, and 200 deaths respectively. Rescue workers have been continuously excavating bodies at the site of the landslide, with 48 new bodies added in just one day in Aceh province. Indonesian media quoted the Ministry of Rural and Underdeveloped Areas Development as saying that some villages along the river were completely washed away by floods, and "the whole village disappeared from the map".  

The disaster left behind a fragmented land. At present, 10500 houses have been damaged in the three provinces, 536 public facilities, 25 medical facilities, 326 schools, 185 religious sites, and 295 bridges have been destroyed. Many roads have been disrupted, and rescue teams can only rely on helicopters or walking to enter the disaster area. The children's backpacks are still hanging on the wall, but the classroom has collapsed, "choked up a teacher in West Sumatra province. Disasters not only take away lives, but also destroy the foundation on which communities rely for operation - schools, clinics, places of worship, and bridges connecting the outside world. The Indonesian National Disaster Relief Agency stated that the search and rescue efforts are still ongoing and no end date has been set. "As long as there is a glimmer of hope, we will not give up. Keywords: international news

Faced with the severe disaster situation, Indonesian President Prabowo has instructed all government departments to fully support disaster relief, demanding maximum efforts to rescue the affected people and promote the restoration of key facilities and services as soon as possible. At the same time, relevant departments in Indonesia are implementing weather modification operations to reduce extreme rainfall and create conditions for road cleaning, rescue access, and material transportation. In the mountainous areas of Aceh province, helicopters braved rain and fog to airdrop food and blankets; In North Sumatra province, soldiers carry stretchers across muddy terrain. The spokesperson of the National Disaster Relief Agency stated that the current focus is on life rescue and basic material support, and the subsequent reconstruction will be a long journey. Editor/Yang Meiling