Health complications are spreading in flood-stricken Indonesian provinces of North Sumatra, West Sumatra, and Aceh, as medical facilities face severe disruptions. Officials confirm 940 deaths and 276 people missing following Cyclone Senyar’s impact, as of Sunday, December 7, 2025.
Flooding in Sumatra, Indonesia on November 25, 2025. Credit: BPBD
Severe flooding caused by Tropical Cyclone Senyar has claimed nearly 1 000 lives in three Indonesian provinces since last month.
Official reports have confirmed at least 940 fatalities and over 5 000 injuries, while 276 people remain missing across the provinces of North Sumatra, West Sumatra, and Aceh, as of Sunday, December 7.
The devastation has been widespread, with over 120 000 homes reportedly destroyed by the flooding and landslides. The storm’s impact also destroyed 405 bridges, 270 health facilities, 509 educational facilities, and 1 100 public facilities,.
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— Volcaholic (@volcaholic1) December 8, 2025 The destruction has turned the region into a breeding ground for diseases, with people suffering from myalgia, diarrhea, and multiple other health complications across the affected regions.
At the only hospital in Aceh Tamiang, a patient and medical workers told Reuters on Sunday about worsening diseases there. Witnesses said medical equipment was covered with mud, syringes were scattered on the floor, and floods swept medicines away.
“These workers do not know what tired means,” said Ayu Wahyuni Putri, who gave birth to her child days before the floods hit.
Nurhayati, a 42-year-old nurse, said the hospital was nearly paralyzed due to a lack of medicine. Workers tried to save ventilators at an intensive care unit for babies, but were unsuccessful as rising water covered them.
“People know me as a nurse. When I couldn’t do something, it felt devastating. I can only give the available medicine,” she said, hoping that the hospital would be reactivated. “This is an extraordinary disaster. Everything is destroyed.”
Ruined bridges made it nearly impossible for medical workers to move around Aceh, said Dr. Chik M. Iqbal, who traveled by boat to reach Aceh Tamiang, adding that emergency rooms would only be up and running on Monday.
The government bodies in Sumatra have requested the national government to declare a national emergency in order to release more funds for relief and rescue efforts. Damage caused by Senyar’s impact in Indonesia is estimated at around 4 billion USD, reported CNN Indonesia.
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