Death toll rises across Southeast Asia as days of heavy rain trigger widespread floods and landslides

Severe flooding and landslides across Southeast Asia continued to claim lives on Monday, as heavy rains that began more than a week ago left extensive destruction in Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia. Officials report mounting fatalities, mass evacuations and widespread damage to infrastructure and agriculture.
Vietnam has been the hardest-hit, with authorities confirming 91 deaths and 11 people still missing across an 800-kilometre stretch of the central region between Quang Tri and Lam Dong provinces. Dak Lak province recorded the greatest loss of life, with 63 deaths—mostly due to drowning—while additional fatalities were reported in Khanh Hoa, Lam Dong, Gia Lai, Danang, Hue and Quang Tri.
With roads submerged or washed out in many areas, helicopters have been deployed to deliver food, aid and medical supplies, and to assist in evacuations. In Nha Trang, a major tourist city in Khanh Hoa province, residents and visitors began clearing debris as waters receded after the weekend.
Coffee plantations in Dak Lak, Vietnam’s key coffee-producing region, were also inundated. Preliminary estimates place the economic toll from this round of flooding at approximately $500 million. Vietnam’s weather agency warned that more rain is expected and that a new tropical depression forming offshore could worsen conditions later in the week.
The flooding comes on top of earlier disasters. Vietnam was hit this month by severe rainfall and Typhoon Kalmaegi, as well as storms in September and October. The International Organization for Migration said Monday that South Korea will provide $1 million to assist communities affected by recent typhoons, which caused an estimated $1.2 billion in damage and forced hundreds of thousands to evacuate.
In Thailand, torrential rains triggered flash flooding in the southern region, affecting nearly two million people. Five deaths and four injuries were reported across six provinces. Officials warned that water levels are likely to rise again as heavy rain continues. Hat Yai, a major commercial centre in Songkhla province, recorded 335 millimetres of rain on Friday—the highest 24-hour total in 300 years—and nearly 630 millimetres over three days, forcing emergency crews to use lifeboats to move people from flooded homes and hotels.
Thailand has already experienced multiple rounds of flooding this year, including deadly inundations in the north and months of flooding in the central region that killed more than two dozen people and caused extensive damage to farmland and homes.
Malaysia is also experiencing worsening flooding across several states, with more than 12,500 people evacuated as persistent monsoon rains continue. The northeastern state of Kelantan has been the most severely affected, prompting authorities to open 86 temporary shelters and warn of additional rainfall in the coming days.
Flooding is common during Southeast Asia’s annual monsoon season, but scientists warn that climate change is intensifying rainfall, making storms and related disasters more destructive and frequent across the region.