Death toll from heavy rains in three Southeast Asian countries exceeds 600

More than 600 people have died in Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand after torrential rains brought by a rare tropical storm triggered floods and landslides across Southeast Asia. The storm is moving toward the Strait of Malacca.

Indonesia has reported 435 deaths, Thailand 170 and Malaysia three. Rescue teams continue struggling to reach submerged areas despite receding water levels. Tens of thousands of people have been evacuated.

Officials said over 4 million people have been affected — around 3 million in southern Thailand and 1.1 million in western Indonesia.

Separately, a cyclone in the Bay of Bengal has killed at least 153 people in Sri Lanka, where 191 remain missing and more than half a million have been affected.