A total of 303 people died and 279 remain missing after flash floods and landslides struck three provinces in Indonesia's Sumatra region, the country's National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) said on Saturday.
Heavy monsoon rains have submerged entire communities, forcing tens of thousands to evacuate and leaving residents stranded as access to many areas remains cut off.
BNPB Chief Suharyanto told a press conference that North Sumatra suffered the highest number of casualties, with 166 deaths and 143 people still unaccounted for. In West Sumatra, 90 people were confirmed dead and 85 missing, while in Aceh, 47 fatalities were recorded and 51 people remained missing.
He chaired a coordination meeting with BNPB units deployed in the three hardest-hit provinces, emphasizing that operations must be intensified as weather conditions in the affected areas begin to improve.
He noted that the agency is prioritizing three urgent tasks: conducting search and rescue operations for those still missing, restoring disrupted communication access, and ensuring the swift delivery of logistics to affected residents.
Indonesia flood death toll rises to 303, another 279 still missing
U.S. stocks ended lower on Tuesday as climbing U.S. Treasury yields continued to weigh on investor sentiment.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 322.24 points, or 0.65 percent, to 49,363.88. The The Standard and Poor's 500 sank 49.44 points, or 0.67 percent, to 7,353.61, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index shed 220.03 points, or 0.84 percent, to close at 25,870.71.
A primary source of downward pressure came from the fixed-income market. The yield on the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury note climbed back above 4.6 percent, while the 30-year Treasury yield nearly touched 5.2 percent, marking its highest level in nearly 19 years.
The high-yield environment acted as a drag on high-valuation growth sectors, which are particularly sensitive to elevated interest rates. Six of the 11 primary The Standard and Poor's 500 sectors closed in negative territory, with materials and communication services leading the declines by dropping 2.27 percent and 1.58 percent, respectively. In contrast, the healthcare sector gained 1.09 percent and the energy sector advanced 1.03 percent.
Market participants are also focusing on Wednesday's upcoming after-hours earnings release from Nvidia.
U.S. stocks close lower amid rising yields
