Prabowo Visits Flood-Hit Sumatra as Death Toll Rises to 442
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TAPANULI UTARA, Investortrust.id — President Prabowo Subianto visits flood-stricken North Sumatra on Monday, Dec 1, 2025 as Indonesia's disaster agency reports 442 people dead and 402 missing across Aceh, North Sumatra and West Sumatra, highlighting the scale of the crisis gripping western Indonesia. The trip underscores Jakarta's bid to speed up search, rescue and relief efforts after days of flash floods and landslides that have cut off villages, destroyed infrastructure and displaced thousands.
The National Disaster Management Agency BNPB reported that the combined toll from flash floods and landslides in the three provinces kept climbing into Sunday night as more bodies were recovered and hundreds of people remained unaccounted for. In an online press conference, BNPB Chief Lieutenant General Suharyanto said North Sumatra bore the heaviest initial impact of the disaster.
"North Sumatra has become the region with the biggest impact in the initial phase of the response," Suharyanto said. "Many villages were buried by landslide debris and their access was cut off."
According to BNPB data as of Sunday evening, North Sumatra recorded 217 deaths with 209 people still missing, while West Sumatra reported 129 dead and 118 missing and Aceh counted 96 fatalities with 75 residents unaccounted for. Steep terrain, unstable hillsides and persistent bad weather had slowed rescue teams trying to reach isolated communities in both upland and coastal areas.
Suharyanto stressed that search operations would continue to be reinforced as additional personnel and heavy machinery were rushed to the field. He said national and local agencies were racing to open emergency access routes while simultaneously air-dropping aid into enclaves that remained cut off on the ground.
Prabowo earlier ordered a nationwide mobilisation to strengthen the response, a directive that set the tone for coordination among ministries, the military and police and regional administrations. The president's visit to North Sumatra followed intensive briefings and was aimed at checking directly whether emergency measures on the ground matched national standards for rapid and coordinated disaster management.
Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture Pratikno, who travelled with Suharyanto to badly hit districts in Tapanuli Tengah, Tapanuli Selatan and Sibolga on Sunday, conveyed Prabowo's instructions. "The President's order is that all national forces must be mobilised in this emergency response phase to ease the burden on the people," Pratikno said.
He emphasised that the government machine had been pushed to operate at full capacity alongside local authorities and security forces. "This shows that all ministries and agencies are trying as hard as possible to deploy the strengths they have to help the people, together with regional governments, the military and the police, who have been helping the communities since day one," he said. "Earlier we visited Tapanuli Tengah, Tapanuli Selatan and also Sibolga together with the Head of BNPB."
Pratikno added that beyond the life-saving phase, the government had started planning for rehabilitation and reconstruction, including temporary and permanent housing for displaced families. Officials said restoring critical infrastructure such as roads, bridges, electricity, telecommunications and health services would be central to helping communities resume normal activity and build resilience against future disasters.
In Aceh, maritime logistics became vital as road links were severed by landslides and flooding, prompting authorities to turn to high-speed ferries. The Expres Bahari vessel carrying emergency supplies from BNPB and the Aceh provincial government reached Krueng Geukueh Port in North Aceh on Sunday afternoon, opening an additional lifeline for isolated districts.
"Thank God, the aid we sent by sea to North Aceh, where land distribution routes were cut off, has now arrived," said Murthalamuddin, spokesperson for the Aceh disaster task force, in Banda Aceh on Sunday. He said the cargo would be redistributed by sea to regencies and cities that were still unreachable by road.
Aceh's emergency command post chief for hydrometeorological disasters M Nasir explained that the shipment comprised supplies from the Aceh Disaster Management Agency BPBA, the provincial social affairs office and aid from President Prabowo. Murthalamuddin underlined that response and data collection would continue in tandem. "We are continuing efforts to handle the disaster while conducting comprehensive data collection covering all aspects," he said.
Fuel and cooking gas supplies, critical in any large-scale emergency, also came under pressure as damaged roads and bridges complicated the movement of tankers and delivery trucks. Pertamina Patra Niaga, the fuel distribution arm of Indonesia's state energy group, said it had activated emergency teams in its Northern Sumatra Region to safeguard supply to filling stations and households in the affected provinces.
Corporate Secretary Pertamina Patra Niaga Roberth MV Dumatubun said distribution teams in the field had adjusted delivery patterns in response to rapidly changing conditions. "We are making sure people can still access fuel," he said. "Even though many routes were cut off by floods and landslides, our teams kept moving to find alternative routes so that distribution would not stop."
High water levels, landslides and collapsed bridges meant some main roads could not yet be used by large tankers, forcing distributors to rely on smaller vehicles and tighter rationing. Sea-borne supply chains also faced rough seas, but Pertamina said the situation had stabilised with three vessels alongside discharging cargo and four more holding position offshore as floating stock, giving the region around two weeks of cover for key fuels such as diesel and Pertalite.
Fahrougi Andriani Sumampouw, Area Manager Communication, Relations and CSR for Pertamina Patra Niaga's Northern Sumatra Region, said a number of fuel stations in flooded zones had to halt operations temporarily for safety reasons. "At present, 655 out of 709 fuel stations, or the majority of stations, continue to operate to serve the public's fuel needs," he said.
Fahrougi outlined further steps taken to keep fuel and LPG flowing to priority locations, including rerouting supplies from unaffected terminals, adding tank trucks and tightening monitoring through a special task force. "We are monitoring the situation at all times and continuously adjusting distribution patterns so that people can keep accessing energy safely," he said. "We urge the public to buy fuel according to their needs and to be careful when refuelling in areas that are still inundated. If additional supply support is needed, reports can be submitted through the Pertamina Contact Center 135."
The private sector also moved to support relief operations as the scale of destruction became clearer, especially in areas where washed-out bridges and broken roads severed economic links. Indonesia's Chamber of Commerce and Industry Kadin said it would coordinate fundraising among businesses after its 2025 National Leadership Meeting Rapimnas in Jakarta on Dec 1–2.
"We will raise funds and also work out the logistics," Kadin Chairman Anindya Novyan Bakrie said on Sunday after a fun walk event in central Jakarta. "Hopefully after the Rapimnas is finished, the mobilisation can start by Wednesday."
Anindya said Kadin would partner with both central and regional governments to make sure assistance reached those who needed it most. "Kadin wants to work together with the central government and also regional governments, from all of their components, to ensure that we can ease people's suffering a little," he said.
He noted that the disaster had severed many vital links in local economies across Sumatra. "From what I saw there is a lot of disconnection in infrastructure because of this calamity," he said. "So it is very important for Kadin to move, as Mrs Diana mentioned earlier, not only to drive the economy but also to help when disasters like this occur."
By combining a nationwide state-led mobilisation with regional logistics, private-sector contributions and local volunteer networks, authorities hoped to shorten the emergency phase and accelerate the move into recovery and rebuilding. For families in the hardest-hit districts of Aceh, North Sumatra and West Sumatra, however, the immediate priority remained locating loved ones, securing shelter and restoring basic services after one of the region's deadliest recent disasters.