Sumatra Natural Disaster: 35,813 People Evacuated

JAKARTA, KOMPAS - The National Search and Rescue Agency or Basarnas has evacuated 35,813 individuals affected by natural disasters in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra over the past three days. Currently, there are 188 recorded fatalities and 167 individuals reported missing as a result of the incident.

According to data from Basarnas on Saturday (29/11/2025) until 14:00 WIB, a total of 35,813 people have been evacuated from disaster locations in Sumatra. In West Sumatra, 29,398 individuals were evacuated, followed by North Sumatra (2,037) and Aceh (4,378).

Of that number, 188 people have died. Ninety died in North Sumatra, 85 in West Sumatra, and 13 in Aceh.

Meanwhile, 167 people are still missing. A total of 68 people were reported missing in North Sumatra, West Sumatra (90) and Aceh (9).

"We will continue to search for the victims who have been reported missing," said Head of Basarnas Air Marshal Mohammad Syafii in an official statement on Saturday.

The search for victims, he said, will be conducted through various methods. For instance, aerial searches will be carried out using helicopters. Sweeping of residential areas will also be conducted using rescue vehicles and rubber boats. Monitoring will also be performed using drones.

"The main route will also be opened to speed up the mobility of SAR and logistics teams," he said.

Previously, the Head of the National Disaster Management Agency, Lieutenant General Suharyanto, stated that distribution assistance has begun to be delivered to several evacuation points. For areas that are still difficult to reach, logistical assistance is being provided using Caravan aircraft and Airbus EC 155 helicopters.

"Both are also used to unload equipment and heavy machinery to expedite the opening of access to affected villages," he said.