Rescuers stepping up to recover flood victims

More than 1,400 dead from floods in Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Thailand as rescue efforts intensify. Binsar Bakkara and Niniek Karmini of the Associated Press report

- Binsar Bakkara and Niniek Karmini of the Associated Press report

> Flood survivors use logs to cross a river in Batang Toru, North Sumatra, Indonesia, this week

(BINSAR BAKKARA)

EMERGENCY crews raced to reach survivors and recover more bodies as the death toll from last week's catastrophic floods and landslides surged past 1,400 in Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Thailand, with more than 1,000 people still missing.

Days of heavy monsoon rains inundated vast areas, leaving thousands stranded and many clinging to rooftops and trees waiting for help. The flooding and landslides killed at least 1, 400 people - 753 in Indonesia, 465 in Sri Lanka, 185 in Thailand and three in Malaysia, authorities said Tuesday.

Sri Lanka's President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said it's too early to determine the exact number of dead in his country.

In Indonesia, the hardest-hit nation, rescuers struggled to access villages on Sumatra island, where roads have wbeen washed out and bridges collapsed.

At least 650 people remain missing, according to the country's National Disaster Management Agency. Helicopters and boats have been deployed, but officials warn that worsening weather and damaged infrastructure are slowing operations. It was the deadliest in Indonesia since a 2018 quake and tsunami in Sulawesi killed more than 4,300 people.

Floods and landslides in North Sumatra carried away millions of cubic meters of felled timber, officials said, sparking public concern that illegal logging may have contributed to the disaster.

Batang Toru, the lush forested area, has turned into a wasteland of broken logs and shattered homes. Roads have vanished, replaced by rivers of sludge.