SEREMBAN: The Foreign Ministry continues to closely monitor developments and coordinate response efforts related to the flood and landslide disasters affecting West Sumatra, North Sumatra and Aceh in Indonesia.
Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan (pic) said that as of Friday, seven Malaysians were identified as having been stranded due to floods, with one individual still reported missing while six others have safely returned to Malaysia.
“The search for the missing individual, identified as Asrul Nizam Apridwson, has now entered the 23rd day. There has been no latest update from the Indonesian authorities,” he told reporters after attending an event, Bernama reported.
Regarding the status of Malaysian students, Mohamad said there are a total of 49 students in Aceh, of whom 24 remain there while 25 others have returned home as of Dec 16.
“Our students in Aceh are safe, and the Higher Education Ministry has extended financial assistance of RM500 to affected Malaysian students,” he said.
Mohamad added that Indonesia’s National Agency for Disaster Management reported at least 1,071 deaths, with 185 people still missing and more than 525,868 residents relocated to temporary shelters due to the disaster.
Indonesia has estimated the total cost of recovery and reconstruction efforts for the three affected provinces to exceed RM12.7mil.
