November 30, 2025 | 11:46 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The number of casualties due to floods and landslides in several areas of North Sumatra, Indonesia, continues to rise. The National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) recorded the death toll and missing persons until Saturday, November 29, 2025, reaching hundreds of people.
Head of BNPB, Lieutenant General Suharyanto, conveyed this information in a virtual press conference broadcasted on the BNPB's YouTube channel on Sunday, November 30, 2025. "North Sumatra now has 166 fatalities," he said.
According to Suharyanto, a joint team led by the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) found 60 bodies within the last 24 hours. The search process is still ongoing.
Hundreds of people are also reported missing due to the disaster in North Sumatra. "Then there are 143 people still missing," said Suharyanto.
Suharyanto stated that the land routes are currently impassable in various locations, forcing thousands of residents to evacuate while waiting for logistical assistance.
A massive ecological disaster has simultaneously struck various areas of Sumatra at the end of November 2025. In North Sumatra, the impact has spread from Tapanuli Tengah, Tapanuli Selatan, Sibolga, Humbang Hasundutan, Pakpak Barat, Tapanuli Utara, and even the city of Medan, all of which are in a state of emergency.
"In the last three decades, this is the widest-reaching and most frequent disaster to occur at one time," said Director of the Community Initiative Development Study Group (KSPPM), Rocky Pasaribu, in a written statement on Sunday, October 30, 2025.
Rocky mentioned that Tapanuli Tengah and Tapanuli Selatan were the hardest-hit areas, with casualties from landslides and floods that destroyed settlements and damaged crucial infrastructure. In the midst of this mourning situation, he mentioned that there has been public debate about the cause of the disaster.
According to him, many environmental activists assert that this incident is not purely a natural disaster, but an ecological disaster caused by human activities. This suspicion is reinforced because in the affected areas, especially Tapanuli Tengah and Tapanuli Selatan, there are numerous large logs being carried by the floods. "This sight strengthens the conclusion that the deforestation in the upstream areas has reached a concerning level," he said.
Irsyan Hasyim contributed to the writing of this article.
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