Southeast Asian countries are facing an unprecedented disaster from torrential rains, floods, and landslides.

According to AFP on the 6th (local time), Cyclone ‘Ditwa’, which struck the region last week, has left about 1,770 people dead in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, and elsewhere.

Indonesia's disaster management agency said that as of this morning the death toll had risen to 883, with 520 missing. The local meteorological agency warned that rain could return to Aceh and North Sumatra today.

Muzakir Manaf, governor of hard-hit Aceh Province, said, “Response teams are continuing to search for bodies in mud that comes up to the waist.” He said many villages have vanished from the map.

With supply lines cut and crops damaged, secondary impacts from hunger are also a concern. Governor Manaf said, “Because of food shortages, the death toll could rise above 883,” adding, “People are dying not from floods but from hunger.”

Meanwhile, the Sri Lankan government has confirmed 607 dead and 214 missing. More than 71,000 homes have been damaged, about 5,000 of which collapsed completely. Over 150,000 displaced people remain in government shelters, and authorities have reissued landslide warnings due to additional heavy rain.

The Sri Lankan government announced large-scale compensation and relocation support for reconstruction. Survivors will receive up to 10 million rupees (about 48.7 million won) to relocate and live in safer areas. Reconstruction costs are estimated to reach $6 billion∼$7 billion (about 8.85 trillion∼10.3 trillion won).

In this regard, President Anura Disanayake of Sri Lanka said the previous day that Ditwa was the most difficult natural disaster to overcome in Sri Lanka's history, and that negotiations were needed to obtain additional support from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

He added that accordingly Sri Lanka had asked the IMF to postpone the sixth tranche of its $2.9 billion (about 4.28 trillion won) bailout and to increase the amount of support.

The IMF said it was reviewing Sri Lanka's request for an additional $200 million on top of the $347 million in extra support it had already been due to receive this month.

Thailand has reported 276 deaths and Malaysia 2 deaths from the heavy rains. In Vietnam, at least 2 people were killed in landslides caused by the downpours.

Experts pointed out that the disaster stems from the combined influence of a tropical storm and the monsoon, and that climate change is increasing the strength and unpredictability of the Asian monsoon. In particular, in Indonesia, unrestrained logging and deforestation have been criticized for exacerbating landslide and flood damage.